News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane Partner Selected as President of The Wheeler School Board of Trustees
The Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island recently selected an alumna from the class of 1986 as President of its Board of Trustees. Alisia St. Florian is the first alumna to serve as President since 1982. Prior to becoming President, Mrs. St. Florian has been a member of the Wheeler Board for four years, chairing the Hamilton School Committee and serving as Vice President.
“I think of Wheeler as the place I grew up,” said St. Florian. “I am so proud to be serving as President of the Board of Trustees. This school and community has meant and continues to mean so much to me.”
The Wheeler school was founded in 1889 as the Mary C. Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island. Upon the death of Mary C. Wheeler in 1920, the Wheeler School Board of Trustees was formed. The Board of Trustees helps further The Wheeler School’s Mission “To Learn Our Powers and Be Answerable For Their Use” and support the vision and strategic plan of the school. St. Florian began her role as President on July 1, 2019.
St. Florian is a Partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, and is a member of the firm’s Special Education Law Group, representing school districts in all aspects of special education litigation, from administrative hearings at the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) through to all levels of judicial appeal. In addition, St. Florian frequently presents workshops on issues regarding special education, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, state and federal student record regulations, bullying, and civil rights laws both to client groups and at state conferences including at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).
St. Florian was a speaker at the LRP School Law Conference in West Palm Beach, FL in January 2018 and in Savannah, GA on January 2017, and is a frequent contributor to special education articles published by LRP. She has been appointed as a Hearing Officer for the Board of Bar Overseers for the 2019-2021 Term. In addition, St. Florian co-founded and has co-chaired the Massachusetts Bar Association Education Law Group. She is a past Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Juvenile and Child Welfare Section Counsel.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Receives Favorable Decision for Town of Dracut
On April 11, 2023, MHTL Attorneys Peter Mello and Madison Harris-Parks represented the Town of Dracut, and successfully obtained a preliminary injunction order requiring, among other things, that the Defendant homeowners cease renting out their pool to the public. The case, Town of Dracut by and Through Its Building Inspector vs. Nason, Gilbert et al., was initiated by the Town after the Defendants failed to comply with the Town’s associated underlying zoning enforcement order. The Town requested the injunction Read More
EXTENSION OF MUNICIPAL RELIEF MEASURES - INCLUDING OPEN MEETING LAW REMOTE OPTION - SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR
The option for public bodies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to hold public meetings remotely or in a hybrid fashion, which came into play at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been extended by the General Court for another two years, until March 31, 2025. The Governor signed the legislation, which will be codified at Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023, on March 29, 2023. Because of the inclusion of an emergency preamble, the law goes into effect immediately.
Braintree, MA
50 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 410,
Braintree, MA 02184
Boston, MA
75-101 Federal Street
Boston, MA 02110
Tel: (617) 479-5000
Tel: (888) 841-4850
Fax: (617) 479-6469
Quincy, MA
Crown Colony Plaza
300 Crown Colony Drive, Suite 410
P.O. Box 9126
Quincy, MA 02169-9126