The Council of School Attorneys (COSA) Fall School Law Seminar is the premier online event for school law professionals. This specialized CLE seminar is designed for attorneys representing K-12 public school boards. Over three afternoons, attendees will gain practical, up-to-date advice on critical legal issues and access invaluable resources to support their practice.

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Registration Fees

Full Seminar

Registration  Registration Deadline State Association COSA, CUBE & District Members Non-Members
Early Bird 

By Sept. 4, 2026

 $340  $540 $670 
Standard  After Sept. 4, 2026  $440  $640  $770 

Daily Rates

Registration Registration Deadline 

State Association

 COSA, CUBE & District Members Non-Members
Early Bird  By Sept. 4, 2026   $114  $180 $224
Standard  After Sept. 4, 2026   $147  $214 $257

Programming

1 – 2 p.m. Eastern Time

Navigating the New Compliance Landscape: Advising School Districts Amid Evolving Federal, State and Enforcement Expectations
School attorneys are advising clients in one of the most dynamic compliance environments in decades. This session examines emerging federal enforcement priorities, state legislative developments, litigation trends and administrative expectations affecting K-12 schools, while offering practical strategies to assist counsel school leaders in managing legal risk, maintaining compliance and making defensive decisions amid continued uncertainty.

Speaker: Courtney H. Bullard, Attorney & Consultant, Institutional Compliance Solutions, LLC, Chattanooga, TN

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time

Immunization Litigation Laws & Exemptions
Immunization litigation is on the rise across the country as school districts grapple with medical and religious exemption requests from parents of unvaccinated children. Hear from school board attorneys Dennis O’Brien and Daniel Levin as they discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s changes to its childhood immunization schedule, recent federal court decisions, and best practices for defending school district determinations in this area of law.

Speakers: Daniel Levin, Associate, and Dennis O’Brien, Partner, Frazer & Feldman, LLP, Westbury, NY

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

You Can’t Say That in School! A Review and Prognostication on First Amendment Speech Rights for Students
In the past few years, new cases with new twists around student speech have begun percolating up through the circuit courts. This presentation will provide a review of those cases, and some prognostication on what may happen in the future.

Speaker: Daniel Feinberg, Assistant Director of Labor Relations and Legal Services, Michigan Association of School Boards, Lansing, MI

1 – 2 p.m. Eastern Time

What We’re Seeing: Emerging Title IX and Title VI Trends in K-12 Schools
Drawing on her work supporting K-12 schools nationwide, Kim Pacelli will share recent observations, emerging trends, and practical lessons learned from Title IX and Title VI matters. Pacelli is a former school law attorney and current member of the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) team, the nation's leading professional association for Title IX and civil rights compliance professionals.

Speaker: Kim Pacelli, Partner/K-12 Lead, TNG Consulting, LLC, King of Prussia, PA

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time

Federal Shifts, Local Impact: Discerning What Truly Matters for Your School District
Every day, there’s a new headline (usually several!) announcing a shift in federal education policy. For school attorneys, it can be difficult to discern what will affect your clients and what is noise. In this session, veteran school law attorney Jessica Heiser and associate professor of education policy and law Dr. Maria Lewis will enable you to identify the local impact of federal shifts in a stoplight fashion: What is probably noise (green light), what you should watch closely (yellow light), and what will have an immediate local impact on your schools (red light).

Speakers: Jessica Heiser, Founder, Imprint Legal Group, Noblesville, IN, and Dr. Maria Lewis, J.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA.

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

NSBA Federal Advocacy Update
Join Dr. Moss for an update on federal education policy, key legal and policy issues for school attorneys, and ways attorneys can work with NSBA to support effective year-round advocacy to protect local governance, ensure funding stability, and advance community priorities.

Speaker: Dr. Phelton C. Moss, Ph.D., Managing Director of Legal and Governance, National School Boards Association, Alexandria, VA.

1 – 2 p.m. Eastern Time

The Changing Landscape of Religion in Public Schools
The United States Supreme Court has become increasingly receptive to claims by parents and staff that school districts have violated their rights to exercise their religion freely. From a coach praying at the 50-yard-line, to curriculum opt-outs, and teachers who refuse to use the preferred pronouns of transgender students, cases are making their way through the court system, and those cases could lead to significant liability for school districts. This session will address the law being developed in these areas and provide practice tips in addressing such issues.

Speakers: Howard M. Miller, Member, and Katie Reid, Member, Bond, Schoeneck & King, Melville, NY

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time

Crisis Communications for School Attorneys. Because the Court of Public Opinion is Always in Session
When a crisis hits, school attorneys must move fast, think strategically, and help clients take control before the story controls them. This session delivers practical, high-impact communication tactics for protecting reputation, managing public pressure, and responding with clarity and confidence in the face of intense scrutiny.

Speaker: Bruce M. Hennes, President, Hennes Communications, Cleveland, OH

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Who Is the Client? Attorney-Client Privilege, Ethics, and Confidentiality in School District Representation
Representing a school district presents unique attorney-client privilege and ethics challenges that differ significantly from private-sector practice. This session explores who the client is, preserving privilege among board members and administrators, waiver risks, electronic communications, artificial intelligence tools, investigations, and the interaction between privilege, open meetings laws, and public records requirements.

Speakers: Tiffany Releford, Partner, and Aaron Nichols, Partner, Ice Miller, LLP, Baltimore, MD