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California Independent Schools Business Officers Association

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California Independent Schools Business Officers Association

Join Us for the 2026

California Legal Symposium!


Co-Hosted by Liebert Cassidy Whitmore (LCW) and Cal-ISBOA

Thursday, November 12, 2026
9:00am - 4:00pm (Lunch Break 11:45pm - 12:45pm)

5.25 hours of Continuing Education credits offered

Recordings will be shared with registrants following the event. 


Schedule & Agenda

9:00am - 9:15am 

Welcome & Opening Remarks

9:15am - 10:30am 

From SB 848 to SB 1083: The Next Phase of School Safety Compliance

Session Description: California’s student-safety requirements continue to evolve. SB 848 established significant obligations for private schools and the recently enacted SB 1083 expanded these safeguards to certain contractors and subcontractors providing services to students. These changes require schools to revisit contractor agreements, screening and disclosure procedures, background-check obligations, and compliance/enforcement provisions. This session will provide attendees with a practical update on the new requirements concerning egregious misconduct reporting, hiring and employment-history checks, mandated-reporter training, investigation practices, and the forthcoming statewide data system. Attendees will leave with clear priorities for updating their school’s practices and reducing legal and operational risks.

Presenters: Heather DeBlanc & Julie Strom

This program has been approved for 1.25 (HR (General)) recertification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

This program is valid for 1.25 PDCs for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification.

10:30am - 10:45am

Break


10:45am - 11:45am

School Pay Practices: Contracts, Stipends, Field Trips, and More

Session Description: Private schools employ individuals in a variety of roles, schedules, and compensation arrangements, creating wage-and-hour issues that do not always have straightforward answers. This session will examine common legal questions involving 10-month and 12-month teacher contracts, stipends and additional-duty assignments, substitute compensation, and compensation for administrators and other employees who take on responsibilities outside their regular roles. Presenters will also use school trips and other off-campus activities to illustrate issues involving compensable time, travel, overnight responsibilities, meal periods, overtime, driving, and expense reimbursement. Designed specifically for private school business officers, the session will provide practical guidance for evaluating compensation arrangements, recognizing legal risks, and identifying when a particular pay practice or assignment may require closer review with legal counsel.


Presenters: Madison Tanner & Brian Walter

This program has been approved for 1 (HR (General)) recertification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

This program is valid for 1 PDC for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification.

11:45am - 12:45pm

Lunch


12:45pm - 2:00pm

You Make the Call: 20 Legal Questions Every Independent School Business Officer Needs to Know

Session Description: Independent school business officers are often the people expected to make the call when an unexpected legal or operational issue lands on the School’s desk, often with incomplete information, competing priorities, and no obvious playbook. In this high energy, interactive session, attendees will work through 20 realistic scenarios involving topics such as wage and hour, employee relations, leaves and accommodations, discipline, student and parent concerns, workplace investigations, contracts, privacy and technology, and other day-to-day operational challenges. Participants will be presented with a question or hypothetical and asked to “make the call” before LCW attorneys unpack the key legal requirements, practical considerations, available options, and potential risks. Come prepared to test your instincts, sharpen your issue-spotting, compare approaches with colleagues, and build confidence in handling the questions that land on your desk. We will close with the “21st Question,” an open forum for attendees to raise additional questions.

Presenters: Grace Chan & Riley Jacobs

This program has been approved for 1.25 (HR (General)) recertification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

This program is valid for 1.25 PDCs for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification.

2:00pm - 2:15pm

Break


2:15pm - 3:15pm

They Posted WHAT? Employee Social Media and Off-Duty Conduct

Session Description: What happens off duty does not always stay off duty, especially online. For California independent schools, employee social media activity can implicate the school’s mission and values, employee rights, and community expectations. Through actual cases and interactive hypotheticals, this presentation will provide a framework for responding to controversial or offensive posts, political speech, and parent complaints. We will examine NLRB decisions and guidance, California Labor Code sections 1101 and 1102, and potential retaliation and discrimination claims. We will also consider how contract and policy language can support clear, consistent responses to these challenging situations.

Presenters: Michael Blacher & Hannah Dodge

This program has been approved for 1 (HR (General)) recertification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

This program is valid for 1 PDC for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification.


3:15pm - 4:00pm

Q & A and Closing Remarks

Presenters: Michael Blacher & Scarlett Vanyi

This program has been approved for 0.75 (HR (General)) recertification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

This program is valid for 0.75 PDC for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification.



Presenters from Liebert Cassidy Whitmore (LCW)


Michael Blacher, Partner


Michael Blacher is a partner and Chair of the firm’s Private Education Practice Group. His practice is solely focused on representing California private schools. He brings passion and creativity to the practice of law and works collaboratively with clients to solve their most challenging and important issues. His approach is proactive and thoughtful. Michael works with schools on virtually every aspect of education law. He frequently advises boards on governance issues and administrators on employment and student matters.

Grace Chan, Partner



Grace specializes in education and employment law, risk management, and nonprofit governance, representing independent schools and nonprofits. She advises boards, school leaders, and HR professionals on mitigating risk and aligning operations with their mission. Her expertise includes employment agreements, policies, harassment claims, wage compliance, and employee discipline. She also counsels schools on student and parent issues, including enrollment, misconduct, privacy, and DEI considerations. Additionally, Grace provides guidance on nonprofit governance, fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, and governance documents. She helps clients develop best practices while navigating complex legal landscapes.

Heather DeBlanc, Partner,
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

Heather DeBlanc is the Chair of the firm’s Business and Facilities Practice Group. She practices education, construction, business, contract and employment law (with an emphasis in benefits), representing both nonprofit and public entity clients. Heather has been practicing construction law for over 20 years, advising clients as to appropriate project delivery methods, contracting, the construction process, and construction disputes. Heather assists project owners in developing and negotiating design professional agreements and construction contract documents. She is adept at identifying and minimizing risk in construction contracts because of her familiarity with the construction process.

Hannah Dodge, Associate


Hannah Dodge is an Associate in LCW’s San Francisco office, where she advises independent schools and non-profits on labor, employment, governance, and education matters. She assists clients with drafting and revising employment, enrollment, and Head of School contracts; advising on employee and student discipline, misconduct investigations, leaves, and accommodations. Hannah also counsels non-profits on governance and business issues, including negotiating third-party contracts. She authors LCW’s monthly Private Education Matters newsletter. In addition, Hannah conducts workplace investigations into sensitive allegations, including workplace violence, mass shootings, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, providing clients with practical guidance in high-stakes, complex situations.

Riley Jacobs, Associate


Riley Jacobs is an Associate in the San Diego office of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, where she advises clients on a variety of labor and employment and educational matters. Riley applies her diverse legal background in both litigation and corporate transactional law to strategically and effectively provide advice and counsel and related drafting support to LCW’s private and public clients for both employment and general business needs.

Prior to joining Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, Riley gained experience in corporate, employment and civil business litigation matters. She provided advice and counsel and transactional support to early-stage companies, assisted in litigation for violation of California’s wage and hour laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and contributed to commercial real estate, bankruptcy, and contract litigation.

Julie L. Strom, Senior Counsel


Julie L. Strom, based in Liebert Cassidy Whitmore’s Los Angeles office, advises clients on education, employment, and labor law. She works closely with private schools on enrollment agreements, contracts, governance, investigations, tuition disputes, handbooks, discipline, mandated reporting, and terminations. Julie also conducts employment-related investigations for private, nonprofit, and public organizations. Additionally, she provides training on mandatory reporting, harassment, and employee evaluations.


Madison Tanner, Associate


Madison Tanner is an Associate in the San Diego office of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, where she advises private and independent schools on a wide range of employment, student, operational, business, and facilities matters. She serves on the firm’s Executive Committees for the Private Education and Business and Facilities practice groups and counsels schools on issues including harassment and discrimination complaints, employee discipline and termination, accommodations, student matters, and the drafting and revision of employment agreements, enrollment contracts, handbooks, and institutional policies.

Madison also advises private education clients on business and transactional matters, including vendor and services agreements, facilities use arrangements, activity waivers, transportation agreements, technology contracts, construction matters, and property-related agreements. She focuses on helping schools identify and reduce legal risk while developing practical solutions that support effective operations. As a member of the firm’s Workplace Health and Safety practice group, Madison has also helped develop resources and training materials to assist schools and other employers with workplace violence prevention requirements and evolving compliance obligations.


Brian P. Walter, Partner

Brian Walter represents clients in all aspects of employment and labor law, including litigation, counseling on employment and labor relations matters, training and presentations, employee discipline matters, administrative hearings, and investigations. Brian has handled class actions and collective actions in federal and state courts and is Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Brian has extensive experience handling FLSA issues and representing law enforcement agencies, including successfully defending employee discipline matters for sworn and civilian law enforcement personnel.


Continuing Education credits (5.25 hours offered):


Each breakout session has been submitted for SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit. Participating attorneys are eligible for 5.25 hours of MCLE credit.

Cal-ISBOA and LCW are approved by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM Certification Program (SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®). In addition, HR Certification Institute’s® (www.HRCI.org) official seal confirms that Cal-ISBOA and LCW meet the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of HRCI’s eight credentials.


Technical Tips and Contact Information

Having trouble with audio, video, or other settings in Zoom?

Please refer to this helpful Zoom Meeting Cheat Sheet graciously provided by LCW.

FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT DURING THE SYMPOSIUM, Contact the Cal-ISBOA Team at:

Cal-ISBOA Office Line: 818-731-0342

California Independent Schools Business Officers Association

HR Certification Institute’s® (www.HRCI.org) official seal confirms that Cal-ISBOA meets the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of HRCI’s eight credentials, including SPHR® and PHR®.

Cal-ISBOA is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.Cal-ISBOA is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

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