San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education
Board Rule and Procedure 9124
Attorney
This Rule and Procedure applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.
The Board of Education recognizes the complex legal environment in which the district operates. In order to meet the district’s legal needs, the Board shall appoint in-house Legal Counsel, hired as an employee, to provide legal services to the Board, Superintendent, and officers and employees on matters of district business. The duties of the Legal Counsel may include:
- Providing legal services, information and advice to the Superintendent, the Board, and officers and employees of the school district on matters of district business;
- Serving as the legal counsel of the Superintendent, the Board, and officers and employees on matters of district business in the preparation and conduct of school district litigation and administrative proceedings;
- Rendering advice in relation to school bond and tax increase measures and supervising the preparation of all legal papers and forms necessary for the voting of these measures;
- Performing any other legal and/or administrative duties on matters of district business as assigned by the Board or Superintendent or designee.
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
35041 Administrative adviser
35041.5 Legal counsel
35161 Powers and duties of governing board
35200-35214 Liabilities, especially:
35204 Contract with attorney in private practice
35205 Contract for legal services
GOVERNMENT CODE
814-895.8 Liability of public entities and public employees
995-996.6 Defense of public employees
26520 Legal services to school districts
53060 Special services and advice
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
The Brown Act: School Boards and Open Meeting Laws, rev. 2007
Maximizing School Board Leadership: Boardsmanship, 1996
NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION PUBLICATIONS
Selecting and Working with a School Attorney: A Guide for School Boards, 1997
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Council of School Attorneys: http://www.csba.org/LegislationAndLegal/Legal/CaliforniaCouncilOfSchoolAttorneys.aspx
National School Boards Association: http://www.nsba.org
State Bar of California: http://www.calbar.ca.gov
Please note that compare references, or “cf”, refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.