The college classroom has become a legal minefield

Legal Issues for Faculty: How Not to Get Sued

Getting sued shouldn’t be a rite of passage like earning a Ph.D. or making tenure. Yet even well-intentioned and highly ethical instructors can unwittingly expose themselves to legal liability when they follow outdated policies or fail to stay apprised of changing laws, rules, and regulations.

No institution is immune; it can happen anywhere, and lawsuits can involve most anything. The University of California at Berkeley was sued over its Code of Conduct. A Western Nebraska Community College professor was accused of inappropriate assignments, and an Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor was accused of bullying. And the issue at the University of Oregon? Gender bias.

Even sending out grades over email can lead to legal trouble.

If it sounds like campus has become a legal minefield, that’s because it has. It’s time to get proactive and register for Legal Issues for Faculty: How Not to Get Sued, an online seminar led by Deborah Gonzalez, Esq., founder of Law2sm, and Rob Jenkins, associate professor at Georgia Perimeter College.

While it is impossible to prevent all lawsuits, you can learn how to sidestep many of them and safeguard yourself and your institution by staying abreast of the most pressing issues facing campuses today. Fortunately, you don’t have to pore over court cases and law journals to find out what those issues are.

After watching this seminar, you will:

  • Have a working knowledge of the relevant laws pertaining to higher education
  • Recognize the limits of academic freedom and free speech
  • Be conversant in FERPA, ADA, IRB, and other important acronyms
  • Understand how to comply with FERPA and ADA guidelines
  • Understand the concept of educational malpractice
  • Recognize the potential repercussions of behavior toward students in and out of the classroom
  • Understand the legal ramifications of assessment and evaluation
  • Understand the proper uses and limitations of technology and social media in the classroom and on campus
  • Know how to avoid involving yourself or your institution in career-damaging, reputation-destroying, and expensive litigation

Key Takeaways

Laws, behaviors, and expectations change over time. Strategies and policies that were prudent and safe 10 years ago—maybe even five years ago—might expose you to lawsuits today. It is imperative that you understand the current legal landscape. This seminar will update you on pertinent laws and help you recognize the potential repercussions of certain behaviors, all with one goal in mind: to help you avoid getting sued. The seminar will include time for Q&A so we encourage you to bring any questions you may have and the presenters will answer them.

You will finish the seminar:

  • With a solid awareness of current legal issues in higher education
  • Ready to make necessary changes to policies and immediate changes to practices so you can avoid lawsuits

Intended Audience

Any faculty member can find herself or himself in legal hot water. Any administrator can invite a lawsuit targeting himself and his institution. It doesn’t matter if your school is large or small, public or private, two-year or four-year—everyone is at risk of lawsuits. That means just about anyone on campus can benefit from learning more about current legal risks and ways to avoid them, including:

  • Faculty members
  • Staff members (especially those who work directly with students)
  • Department chairs
  • Upper-level administrators

This seminar is now available on CD. The recording includes the complete transcript and all supplemental materials.

An optional Campus Access License is available for an additional $200. It allows the purchasing institution to upload the CD of the seminar onto the institution’s password-protected internal website for unlimited access by the entire campus community.

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If you have any questions contact Customer Service at 800-433-0499 or (608) 246-3590 or email us at support@facultyfocus.com.