PACE Day 2021

Welcome and Introduction
Dave Harvey, PACE administrator, Property & Casualty Coverage for Education

Keynote Session: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Best Practices

Speaker: Diane Cranley, founder and CEO, TAALK (Talk About Abuse to Liberate Kids)

Most school sexual abuse prevention programs are reactive – recognizing and reporting the signs of child abuse. But preventing abuse requires a proactive strategic planning process designed to evaluate and implement a variety of best practices that create a new standard of care – a standard of care based not just on what the law requires, but on what the law allows. Join us to learn the key elements of an effective child sexual abuse prevention plan that will help mitigate the risk of student abuse and limit the organization’s liability in the unfortunate case that abuse does occur.  

The Intersection of SB 155, Title IX and Oregon’s Sexual Harassment Laws

Presenters: Kelly Noor and Rebekah Jacobson, shareholders, GHR

You have received a complaint from a student that he was sexually harassed on social media by an instructional aide. What does the school need to do first? What are your obligations for investigating and addressing complaints of this nature under Oregon’s sexual conduct law, Oregon’s sexual harassment law and Title IX? Participants will be walked through the complaint process from start to finish.   

K-12 Student Speech—All Students Belong Policy and Free Speech Concerns

Presenters: Karen Vickers, partner and Beth Plass, associate, Mersereau Shannon LLP 

School administrators have struggled to understand the boundaries of students’ freedom of speech. What speech can the school prohibit? When can students be disciplined for their speech? How does the new “All Students Belong” rule fit in to this analysis? Learn the do’s and don'ts of regulating student speech.   

Charter Schools - Ask PACE Anything

Presenters: Kristen Miles, Board Development Specialist, OSBA; Callen Sterling, Attorney, OSBA; Allen Bunch, Risk Consultant, OSBA; Troy DeYoung, Risk Consultant, SDAO

What is PACE? What types of claims are charter schools experiencing? What programs and services are available to charter schools? A panel will provide a brief overview of PACE services and answer your charter school-specific questions. Come prepared to ask us anything! 

How to Protect Your Schools from Wildfire

Presenter: Claire McGrew Assistant Chief Deputy Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal 
            

How to Spot and Stop Child Molesters

Presenter: Diane Cranley, founder and CEO of TAALK

Child sexual abuse is predictable and preventable. Will we stop every case of abuse in our schools? No, not likely. But we can greatly diminish the number of victims, the number of incidents and the severity of the abuse when we understand the predictable process of abuse and how to interrupt it.

Session participants will:

1. Learn to recognize the behaviors that are typically apparent before abuse occurs.

2. Become familiar with the boundaries that directly intercede with those behaviors.

3. Increase their confidence in knowing when to suspect and report abuse.

Contracting with Outside Entities/Third Parties—COVID-19 Concerns Addressed

Presenters: OSBA Litigation Services

Learn important key provisions to include in your contracts with outside service providers like bus companies, food service providers, field trip experiences and more! Do you have provisions that allow you to terminate the contract if you need to? Do you have provisions addressing your legally required background checks for contractors? Participants will be provided with sample contract language and suggestions for reducing their liability risk when working with outside vendors.     

Navigating State and Federal Employee Leave Laws

Presenters: Paul Dakopolos and Rebekah Jacobson, shareholders, GHR

It is easy to get lost in the myriad of employee leave entitlements ─ FMLA/OFLA,  Oregon Sick Leave, Workers’ Compensation Leave, leave under the ADA, etc. Where do you start and where does it end? Participants will learn tips and tricks for answering these complex leave questions, particularly in the pandemic environment.   

Recurring Maintenance Cost May Mean Defective Construction 

Presenters: Rob Wilkerson and Chris Walters, partners, Ball Janik LLC; Matt Smith, president, Forensic Building Consultants   

This session will discuss when recurring maintenance signals a bigger problem, actions to take when you don’t know what to do and options for funding and procurement of necessary repairs.

Wildfire Response and Support: A Reflection from Two Community Colleges

Presenters: Bob Cochran, dean of campus services, Clackamas Community College; John McIlvain, emergency and risk manager, Chemeketa Community College 

Many PACE members, their communities, students and staff were impacted by the wildfires of 2020. In this session, representatives from Chemeketa Community College and Clackamas Community College will share their experiences and lessons learned from supporting their communities and the firefighting organizations who responded.   

Addressing Equity in K-12 Schools

Presenters: Attorneys, Miller Nash Graham & Dunn

Research consistently shows that students of color are subject to a higher rate of discipline than white students. The racial demographics of staff rarely matches the racial demographics of the students in the school. Implicit bias is negatively impacting our students. Learn what Oregon schools are doing and what they can do to address inequities in our K-12 schools. 

Employee Discipline and Termination in School Districts - Navigating Complex Statues and CBA provisions

Presenters: OSBA Litigation Services

Have you consulted with PACE Legal Services before terminating an employee? OSBA attorneys will walk you through the discipline and termination process so you avoid lawsuits arising from employee discipline and termination and avoid paying a PACE deductible should a lawsuit nonetheless result.  

Restraining and Seclusion Policy to Practice: Dispelling Myths and Discussing Facts

Lisa Bateman, education specialist, Oregon Department of Education    

Session participants will discuss current issues and policy requirements on the use of restraint and seclusion in public schools. Session participants will: 

•Identify the requirements for using physical restraint and seclusion in public education programs.  

•Understand best practices regarding both implementation and reporting requirements. 

•Receive answers to the most common questions regarding restraint and seclusion in public education programs. 

•Discuss ethical issues and Q&A.

Sexual Abuse and Molestation Prevention - a Risk Perspective

Presenters: McKenzie Nix, SAM prevention specialist, SDAO, Others TBD

This Q&A SAM prevention workshop aims to generate an honest and open dialog about past and present SAM prevention efforts within our schools, including reporting barriers, identifying grooming behaviors and obstacles that educators experience first-hand. 

Higher Education - What Regulatory Changes Will 2021 Bring?

Presenter: Karen Smith, general counsel, Oregon Community College Association (OCCA)

2020 brought changes to both state and federal regulatory requirements for institutions of higher education. With a new presidential administration, will 2021 bring more requirements or changes to Title IX, the Clery Act, COVID-19 paid leave and Oregon OSHA infectious disease standards?

In this session, the presenter will reflect on the challenges of last year and provide insight as to what may be on the regulatory horizon for community colleges in the future.