In honor of our dear friend and colleague, Roger Schmitz, we wanted to publish an encore of Roger's episode of the podcast. Sadly, Roger passed away on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, leaving behind a legacy of leadership and service to the public schools of Missouri.

This episode originally aired on May 20, 2022.

In this episode, we continue the "Leaders and the Law" series with school leader and public education advocate, Roger Schmitz. Duane discusses with Roger his thoughts and reflections on public school challenges, leadership, and advocacy.

Some former and current legislators argue that school districts should pass policies requiring sex segregated school restrooms. The Missouri Human Rights Act prohibits segregation in public accommodations, including restrooms, on the basis of sex. This prohibition is broad enough to allow for claims that males cannot be excluded from female restrooms and vice versa. As long as this language is on the books, and as long as the law is otherwise unsettled as to whether schools can have sex segregated restrooms, districts should avoid adopting policies that may lead to increased legal risks.

In this episode, Duane and Emily talk through the legal parameters and mechanics of board reorganization meetings.

In this episode, Duane talks through some of the quirky procedural issues and common misperceptions associated with conducting closed sessions of the Board of Education.

With Board reorganizations coming up next month, it is time to think about who should be your Board president. In this episode, Duane discusses the role of the Board President and general areas of responsibilities—all things to consider as you elect your new President.

In this episode, Duane discusses the non-renewal of contracts for probationary teachers and principals, including common missteps and pitfalls.

In this episode, Duane and Emily discuss the requirements for board candidates surrounding personal financial disclosures, sometimes called financial interest statements. Emily and Duane talk through some of the confusing points associated with the filing requirements, as well as filing requirements for sitting board members.

With the passage of Amendment 3 legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, many school leaders are wondering what the impact, at least in the short term, will be for Missouri schools. In this episode, Emily and Duane discuss how Amendment 3 is likely to affect Missouri schools in the short term and identify some of the issues that school leaders should consider at this juncture.