Susan Samaha

OLPD 5344: Reflective Self-Evaluation

-How do you now think differently about school or law-related issues than you did before?
-How does what you have learned in this class influence or interact with your own personal leadership
or legal philosophy?

-How does what you have learned in this class related to material from other courses, to your daily
practice as an educator or attorney, to your current or future actions as a school administrator or
lawyer, etc.?

If I could, I would go back to school and get a law degree. I have learned so much about the

connection between law and education. I became a teacher to advocate for families who knew very

little about the educational system. I became a district facilitator to provide district leaders a perspective

on students of color who were also bilingual. I wanted to bridge the relationship between buildings and

district. I want to continue building a strong bond between the two, in order to have students achieve

their highest potentials. Becoming a principal will give me access to get more from district to support my

staff and students. I feel more confident in doing the work when I know what the law requires. After

taking this course, I truly feel more comfortable in my role as an aspiring principal. I used to think that

the law was far away from touching the school building. I now know that as a building leader, I need to

know all the rules and laws in order to give everyone their rights to education. I now know that I can get

sued for anything. I now know that I need to be extra careful with email and written documentation

with student names. It is not only important to know the laws, but the district policies. Once I

understand the law and policies, I can work within the framework without fear.

I learned a variety of things about the Amendments of the United States Constitution. I learned

a lot about the 1st Amendment and what that looks like in current school days. Reading about the

different cases such as Tinker vs. Des Moines really gave me perspective on why people sue different

school districts. I learned a lot about how cases that happened 40 years ago are still relevant in cases

today. I also learned a lot about due process and how critical that is in my everyday work. I mostly
enjoyed that many of the topics we discussed were applicable at my current school site, such as

checking student lockers and backpacks. It was important to go through scenarios in the class about

different topics such as sexual harassment or teachers posting pictures on social media. Modeling these

conversations helped me understand what lens I should focus on when interacting with staff or student.

The legal lens is something that goes with my own personal leadership lens as a racial equity leader. I

want to make sure student voice and due process is happening in any situation. I have been practicing

circles with students and staff to outline the importance of communicating school policies and

expectations for both staff and students. Finally, I now know that there is a General Counsel that I

should reach out to for any advice at any time.

The graph below shows a top-down approach on educational law.

Law: Supreme, State, Federal

District, Principals, Teachers

Community, Families, Students

I have learned that educational laws start from the Supreme Court. They are disseminated into

state and federal money for schools to use. Certain money can only be used for certain things, such as

Title 1 money. Districts need to comply with the laws and create policies that provide more details for

staff. Principals are the key members in creating that bridge between staff at site, families and

community members, students and district staff. The principals that I see as most successful play an

important role in bridging that collaboration. That collaboration is about providing everyone a voice
(freedom of speech) in what is happening at the school site. An area of growth for me will be to connect

to the teachers union. I need to read the contract and be aware of the obligations and limitations.

As a racial equity leader, if it crucial that I understand the law and the policies of my district. The

case studies provided in this course were easy to connect to our current school site. As we go through

scenarios in this course and other courses, I am able to identify what due process and law needs to be

considered. Education is a right for every student in this country. It is not a privilege. The law is here to

make sure every student has access to curriculum and instruction at their appropriate grade level. The

law makes it clear and this is something I need to bring up in all my racial equity conversations. In

conclusion, I have gained a lot of knowledge around law and education and I have hope that the

opportunity gap will decrease for our students of color.