The Missouribar – 2021 School Law: Students with Disabilities & the Issues Brought to Light During COVID-19

John F. Brink

Thomeczek & Brink, LLC

John Brink graduated magna cum laude from the Carbondale School of Law at Southern Illinois University, where he was a Law Review Fellow. Before entering law school, John was a math teacher in an Illinois high school for several years. John received a B.S. Bachelor of Secondary Education-Mathematics from the University of Illinois.

After graduating from law school, John had the privilege of serving as paralegal to the Honorable Edward L. Filippine, Chief District Judge United States Court to serve. Eastern District of Missouri. Working as a paralegal provided an invaluable opportunity to be exposed to a variety of legal topics and to see the legal process from a court perspective.

After completing your internship John served the state of Missouri as Assistant Attorney General
. In that capacity, John represented the state and various state employees on a variety of matters including civil rights, employment, special education and segregation litigation.

During his tenure in the Attorney General’s office, John presided over several first and second court cases and represented the state in administrative hearings related to personnel matters. In addition to filing cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and writing numerous briefs on appeal, John authored an amicus curia brief that was filed with the United States Supreme Court.

After moving to the private sector in 1999, John focused on representing
public school districts, with a focus on issues related to students with disabilities. His practice includes advising on a wide range of issues and representing clients in administrative and court proceedings. John has served as a mediator in special education matters and as a hearing officer in Section 504 due process hearings.

John has frequently been asked to speak to schools and rights groups on issues surrounding students with disabilities and is an Associate Professor at University Lindenwood, where he teaches special education law.

Jayme Major Related seminars and products: 2

St. Louis Public Schools

Jayme Major graduated magna cum laude from Saint Louis University School of Law. Prior to law school, Jayme worked in management and marketing for several years. Jayme received a B.S. Degree in Marketing from Carbondale University of Southern Illinois.

After graduating from law school, Jayme worked as an associate attorney in the litigation department of the law firm of Lewis Rice LLC. For eight years, Jayme maintained a wide range of practices, representing clients in contract disputes, medical malpractice defense, labor and employment law and more. Jayme has a wide range of trial experience as first and second president in federal and state courts in Missouri and Illinois. Jayme has also served as a permanent liaison and volunteer case attorney, providing pro bono
representation for legal services clients in protective orders, domestic matters, adult and juvenile guardianship, and housing and tenancy matters.

At LewisRice, Jayme started representing St.

Louis public schools. Coming from a family of educators, Jayme found her true calling in education law. As a representative of SLPS, Jayme gained expertise on federal and state compliance issues, served as lead counsel in approximately 100 administrative termination hearings, and defended multiple state and federal discrimination lawsuits. In 2017, Jayme moved to an internal position for SLPS as Deputy General Counsel. In this capacity, Jayme provides legal advice to 70 locations and their 4,000 employees and 20,000 students.

Jayme serves as the Compliance Officer for Titles IX and VI and is responsible for providing guidance and training on policy compliance, sexual harassment, support for transgender students, bullying and other student and staff issues and concerns. Jayme coordinates cases with outside attorneys relating to personal injury, educational disputes, workers compensation and other cases and continues to represent the district in all administrative hearings designated as due process for certified and non-
certified personnel subject to disciplinary action.

Throughout the pandemic, Jayme has taken the lead in building a COVID response team, including a six-person contact tracing department , including three dedicated contact tracers. Jayme remains on the front lines of the CDC and health department, implementing protocol and providing training with the contact tracing department and all SLPS school leaders. SLPS has a
in-person learning option at each of its locations and has managed to continue in-person learning without disruption by adhering to strict security protocols and maintaining strong internal contact tracing. with dedicated people ensuring close contacts are identified, tested and quarantined immediately if there is a positive case.

Jayme will oversee all aspects of the COVID response, including on-site antigen testing, working with the Department of Health on upcoming vaccine distribution, writing and enforcing COVID exposure guidelines and more, becoming the foremost authority on COVID-related school affairs and initiatives in the community St Louis area.

Duane Martin Related seminars and products: 2

EdCounsel, LLC

Duane is a primary era university graduate who values the crucial distinction public educators have made in his existence. Those educators at once impacted his expert existence and instilled in him a ardour for public provider and governmental affairs. As an undergraduate, Duane served as certainly considered one among 30 college students decided on nationally as a Center Fellow with the Center for the Study of Presidency, publishers of Presidential Studies Quarterly. Duane turned into additionally a recipient of the George C. Marshall Award, subsidized via way of means of the Marshall Foundation in honor of certainly considered one among America’s  really selfless public servants. After serving remote places as an Army officer, Duane lower back domestic to Missouri to wait regulation college. In regulation college, he served as Editor in Chief of the ABA’s country wide quarterly for kingdom and nearby authorities regulation, which incorporates scholarly works concerning public education. Following regulation college, Duane served as a judicial regulation clerk on the Missouri Court of Appeals and as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri.

In personal exercise, Duane represented his first public college district in 1997 and has committed his exercise completely to the illustration of public colleges seeing that 2002. He has represented public college districts in kingdom and federal court, in addition to earlier than kingdom and federal administrative bodies.

Duane’s full-size revel in on this discipline is extraordinary and he maintains to paintings each day to help and guard public colleges and public college leaders. Duane and his wife, Wendy, have six children, all of whom are college students or instructors in public colleges or colleges.

Jeffrey St. Omer Related seminars and products: 2

Mickes O’Toole, LLC

During his career, Jeffrey A. St. Omer has represented a extensive sort of schooling-associated customers during the nation of Missouri. For the beyond twelve years, Jeff has served as Chief Legal suggest for the St. Louis Public School District. Before his time with St. Louis Public Schools, he acted because the General Counsel for the Kansas City, MO School District.

Jeff’s revel in consists of advising and counseling over one hundred Missouri K-12 public faculty districts and better schooling establishments. His revel in running with academic establishments consists of negotiating hard work agreements with the most important instructors union in Missouri; coordinating trainer and non-licensed dismissal; coordinating district responses to scholar area matters; responding to trainer and scholar civil rights matters; accomplishing license revocation hearings earlier than the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; and making sure compliance with local, nation, and federal legislation.

James Thomeczek Related seminars and products: 2

Thomeczek & Brink, LLC

Jim Thomeczek is a partner in the law firm of Thomeczek & Brink, LLC of St. Louis. For over thirty years, Jim has represented Missouri school districts on special education and student-related matters. He has tried four special education cases before the Eighth Circuit, and the court has dismissed at least one other. Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of School Boards Council of School Lawyers.

He was also President of the Missouri Council of School Lawyers. For the past eleven years, Jim has been recognized as a SuperLawyer by Thompson Reuters and has also been recognized by Best Lawyers, including Education Lawyer of the Year (St. Louis)