State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Announces the Second School Law Conference
HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen and the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) Legal Team are hosting the second School Law Conference on November 10, 2022, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in room 303 at the Montana State Capitol.
The School Law Conference is free and open to parents, school administrators, trustees, curriculum specialists, teachers, legislators, and all other interested individuals. Topics include:
- School Accreditation Rulemaking
- Financial Literacy Education
- Licensure Discipline
- State Diplomas
- Emergency Authorization for Employment
- Sex Education and Statute
- Funding Tuition for Residential Facilities
- School Bus Stop Arms
“As we approach a new legislative session I encourage parents, teachers, and legislators to join us for a discussion on quality teaching and learning in Montana public schools,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “Putting Montana students and families first in education legislation must be a priority for all of our legislators.”
The conference will feature OPI Chief Legal Counsel Rob Stutz, OPI Lawyer Rick Wootton, and Derek D’Angelo, the Curriculum Director for the Foundation for Economic Education.
OPI Chief Legal Counsel Rob Stutz has legal experience in state and federal government, in private practice, and with a non-profit. His background includes over 10 years in education law, including as legal counsel for the Montana Board of Public Education, at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters, and with the Montana School Boards Association.
OPI Lawyer Rick Wootton has 33 years of legal experience, some of which was in the federal government (retired Navy JAG officer), state government (several Texas state agencies & the Montana Department of Insurance), and private practice (first as an “insurance defense” attorney, then with several Colorado law firms that do battle with insurance companies).
Derek D’Angelo has served his community as an Economics teacher at Eisenhower High School in Shelby Township, Michigan for 24 years. He is most proud of taking a struggling AP Economics program and seeing average scores increase from an average of 1.33 to 4.24 over his first 5 years teaching the course. Looking to scale his desire to help others, Derek accepted the role of President of the Michigan Council on Economic Education in 2015.
The School Law Conference will be available for streaming on the legislative website.
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