News
Partner with Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane Named President of the Massachusetts Council of School Attorneys (COSA)
Kevin Bresnahan, a partner with Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, was named President of the Massachusetts Council of School Attorneys (COSA) during their annual meeting on December 6, 2019. The COSA officers are made up of an executive committee comprised of president, president-elect, two members at large, a past president, and ex officio.
Emerging Issues in Education Law 2019 took place at the UMASS Club in Boston. Melissa Murphy, Esq., current President of COSA was the program moderator for the meeting. Kevin Bresnahan spoke on the recent Dedham teachers strike during the annual meeting. Interesting cases were presented by local attorneys during the afternoon meeting. Before the conclusion of the meeting, the election of officers and steering committee took place. Kevin Bresnahan was installed as the 2020 President of COSA.
COSA was formed in 1997 to provide information and practical assistance to attorneys who represent public school districts, COSA with the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Council of School Attorneys is a membership organization of more than 40 affiliate state councils and more than 3000 attorneys nationwide who work to improve the practice of school law and prevent lawsuits against public schools.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane LLP is known throughout New England for its labor and employment practice. In addition the firm has an extensive education law practice representing more than one hundred and fifty public, private and nonprofit educational institutions through the collegiate level.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Prevails in U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Attorney Felicia Vasudevan, a partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, received a favorable decision on behalf of her client, Marshfield Public Schools. The Plaintiff appealed the district court’s judgement that upheld a decision of the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”). However, as the notice was filed more than 30 days after entry, the First Circuit ultimately dismissed the appeal for being untimely. The Plaintiff also appealed the district court’s order, denying her motion to vacate. Read More
New Features of Public Participation at School Committee Meetings
Following our Alert from March 16, 2023, Civility is Dead – The Supreme Court Rules Municipal Control of Public Speak Limited to Reasonable Time/Place/Manner Restrictions, which discussed the holding to the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Barron v. Kolenda and the Town of Southborough (SJC-13284), we promised to bring you more detailed guidance on developing a Public Speak policy for your public body or municipality. The Barron case involved a constitutional challenge to the Town of Southborough’s public comment policy, which attempted to impose a code of civility on members of the public who participated in public comment before public bodies. In Barron, the court interpreted the state constitution to mean that public bodies may request, but not require, that public commentators be respectful and courteous. Instead, a public body may set restrictions on reasonable time, place, and manner comments to ensure that the meeting retains an orderly and peaceable manner.
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