Education
Martin Browne is one of the few firms in West Central Ohio with an established education law practice. Our firm provides skilled representation to a wide variety of institutions in both the public and private education sectors. This includes primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges, universities, and MR/DD boards. Over the past forty years, our firm has represented public schools in Clark, Greene, Montgomery, Miami, Champaign, Madison, Logan, Fayette, Highland, and Ross Counties in Ohio. We also represent several private institutions of higher learning including Antioch University, Wittenberg University, and Urbana University.
Our goal is to apply our extensive knowledge and experience in education law issues to effectively, and cost-efficiently, meet the unique needs of our clients. We have served public schools and universities in union representation and collective bargaining issues regarding both teaching and non-teaching staff. In many cases, we have been engaged as the chief spokesperson for management at the bargaining table. In other cases, we have provided legal support and planning to others present at the bargaining table. We have also represented school boards and universities before the National Labor Relations Board or the State Employment Relations Board regarding unfair labor practices, representation elections, and other labor matters.
In addition, our attorneys have extensively assisted clients with tenure disputes, contract terminations, contract non-renewals, the defense of employment discrimination charges, civil service charges, grievance arbitration, wrongful discharge suits, and other employment related litigation.
The area of student rights is rapidly changing in education law, and has become an increasingly important concern to our clients. Our education lawyers are up-to-date on all the latest information regarding student rights law, and have extensive experience in the field including: student discipline issues, pupil suspensions, expulsion hearings, requests for student records, implementation of special education requirements under IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as well as the ADA. We have also supported our education clients with advice concerning numerous education policy issues such as school violence, searches of student lockers, drug testing of athletes, school prayer issues, and other important school policy matters of the day. Beyond the scope of students and faculty, we advise and represent our clients in matters involving or impacting school finance including annexation efforts, open enrollment disputes, protection of assessed valuation, tax abatement and exemption issues.
Members of our Education Practice group frequently provide clients with in-service training sessions and other educational programs to keep their administrators and other staff current on any legal developments that might affect them. If you would like to engage us for such a presentation, please call one of our education lawyers or e-mail us with your request.
Services Provided:
- Teacher non-renewal and termination
- Faculty tenure disputes
- Employee discipline and investigation of misconduct
- Grievance arbitration
- Collective bargaining
- Union elections
- Unfair labor practices and representation before SERB and NLRB
- Student discipline
- Special education requirements, IDEA, section 504, ADA
- Open enrollment disputes
- Tuition matters
- Annexation and real estate valuation matters
- Tax abatement disputes
- Board governance issues
- Sunshine Law requirements
- School Finance Issues
- Policy development and compliance with legislative enactments