State Superintendent Arntzen Announces the Montana School Law Conference

• Anastasia Burton
• November 02 2021

HELENA—Today, State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen announced the Montana School Law Conference, which will be held virtually November 16 from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

This year’s theme is “Your Rights and Responsibilities.” The Law Conference is open to parents, school administrators, trustees, curriculum specialists, teachers, legislators, and all other interested individuals. Topics include:

• Federal and Montana legislative updates
• Critical Race Theory
• Title IX
• Parental rights, and
• Handling politically and emotionally charged school board meetings.

“Solutions are demanded during these challenging times,” said State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen.  “Our students deserve an honest discussion around current issues that have legal implications. This offers an opportunity to strengthen our public education system for the betterment of our Montana children,” Arntzen added.

The conference will feature two keynote speakers, Dr. Yong Zhao and Dr. Wilfred Reilly.

Dr. Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professor in Educational Leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education in Australia. He has been recognized as one of the most influential education scholars and his works focus on the implications of globalization and technology on education.

Dr. Reilly is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University, and the author of the books Taboo: Ten Facts You Can't Talk About, Hate Crime Hoax, and The $50,000,000 Question. Dr. Reilly has published pieces in Academic Questions, Commentary, Quillette, and several other journals and magazines. His research interests include international relations and the prevention of war, contemporary American race relations, and the use of modern quantitative methods to test theories such as white privilege.

The Montana School Law Conference registration link and a detailed agenda can be found on the Office of Public Instruction’s website.

Registration fees:

• $149 per individual
• $99 for teams of four or more
• $49 for college students
• Complimentary for Montana legislators

For more information, contact OPI Chief Legal Counsel Jake Griffith at (406) 444-4399 or Jacob.griffith@mt.gov.

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