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Why Florida Charter Schools Benefit from Outside General Counsel (2025 Governance & Operations Playbook)

What “Outside General Counsel” Looks Like for Charter Schools

• Protect academics and funding by keeping the authorizer relationship healthy and audits clean.
• Prevent issues through proactive policies, training, and contract controls.
• Speed decisions with plain-English guidance that administrators and board members can apply the same day.
• Align promises and coverage so contracts, policies, and insurance work together.

12 High-Impact Areas Where General Counsel Adds Value

1) Board Governance & Authorizer Relations

• Update bylaws, conflict-of-interest and ethics policies, and board member onboarding.
• Prepare board agendas/minutes that reflect Sunshine/Public Records expectations (as applicable).
• Track charter agreement deliverables (academic, financial, operational) and renewal timelines. Outcome: Fewer compliance surprises and a smoother authorizer relationship.

2) Compliance Calendar & Accountability

• Build a 12-month calendar for reports, financial submissions, audits, safety drills, and renewal milestones.
• Prepare for site visits and corrective action plans; coordinate with management companies as needed. Outcome: On-time submissions and reduced risk of notices of concern or defaults.

3) Student Data Privacy & Technology (FERPA & Ed-Tech)

• Review student information systems, learning apps, and data-sharing with vendors (DPAs, security addenda).
• Align directory information practices, parent access, and record requests with FERPA.
• Publish Terms/Privacy for school websites and portals; verify bilingual consistency if used. Outcome: Fewer privacy incidents and faster responses to records requests.

4) Special Education & Section 504 Coordination

• Clarify LEA responsibilities, evaluation/eligibility timelines, related services, and vendor therapy agreements.
• Standardize IEP/504 documentation and parent communication protocols.
• Align transportation/safety accommodations and staff training. Outcome: Reduced dispute risk and stronger student supports.

5) Employment & HR Hygiene

• Offer letters and employment agreements (where used), plus a concise employee handbook (timekeeping, devices/BYOD, social media, confidentiality).
• Role-specific expectations for instructional staff, paraprofessionals, and substitutes; background screening documentation.
• Separation checklists (property return, system deprovisioning, final pay) and documentation discipline. Outcome: Fewer HR complaints and cleaner audits.

6) Procurement & Vendor Contracts

• Standard MSAs and RFP/RFQ packages for curriculum, technology, custodial, security, food service, and transportation.
• Include service levels, breach notice clocks, data security terms, and transition assistance.
• Calibrate indemnities and liability caps to insurance and budget realities. Outcome: Reliable vendors, predictable costs, and leverage when something breaks.

7) Food Service & Transportation

• Review food service agreements (pricing adjustments, USDA compliance references, equipment responsibilities).
• Transportation contracts with safety, routing, training, and incident-response requirements. Outcome: Safer operations and fewer budget surprises mid-year.

8) Facilities, Real Estate & Financing

• Lease terms: build-out, maintenance, CAM reconciliation, signage, parking, drop-off/pick-up logistics, ADA.
• Insurance clauses ( Additional Insured, Primary/Non-Contributory, Waiver of Subrogation) aligned to your policies.
• For financed facilities: covenants, reporting, and cure periods that fit school cash cycles. Outcome: Campuses that work for instruction without uninsured promises.

9) Safety, Crisis Response & Investigations

• Update emergency operations plans, threat-assessment and mandatory reporting protocols.
• Set evidence and interview procedures for internal investigations.
• Coordinate with insurers on notice requirements and panel counsel. Outcome: Faster, consistent responses that reduce liability.

10) Marketing, Enrollment & Communications

• Clean lottery/enrollment procedures, waitlist policies, and multilingual notices.
• Website, social media, and fundraising pages with compliant claims and privacy.
• Parent communication templates (attendance, truancy, discipline) that are firm and fair. Outcome: Transparent, defensible enrollment and fewer complaints.

11) Fundraising, Grants & Gifts

• Documentation for donations, sponsorships, and in-kind gifts; recognition and naming rights where appropriate.
• Grant compliance (allowable costs, procurement standards, reporting). Outcome: Dollars that stick—and audits that pass.

12) Insurance Alignment with Real-World Risk

• Match contracts (leases, vendor MSAs, transportation) to policy endorsements (GL, EDU-E&O/D&O, EPLI, cyber).
• Track certificates and renewals; set claim-notice SOPs. Outcome: No gaps between what you promised and what your policies cover.

A 90-Day General Counsel Plan for Charter Schools

Days 1–15: Baseline & Quick Wins

• Leadership/Board huddle to identify Top 5 risks by impact on academics, finance, and reputation.
• Ship updates to bylaws/COI, board agenda/minute templates, and Public Records/Sunshine practices (as applicable).
• Patch high-risk vendor contracts (data security, breach notice, transition help).
• Confirm insurance endorsements match lease and vendor demands.

Days 16–45: Institutionalize

• Load approved templates: vendor MSAs/RFPs, student data DPAs, employment docs, separation checklists, parent letters (English/Español), website Terms/Privacy.
• Publish a compliance calendar for authorizer deadlines, drills, grants, audits, and board cycles.
• Run 60-minute trainings for administrators: FERPA basics, incident response, contracts 101.

Days 46–90: Measure & Optimize

• Track KPIs (see below) and close any audit or site-visit items.
• Tabletop drills: data incident, emergency response, and vendor outage.
• Prepare the renewal/readiness binder: charter deliverables, board minutes, financials, facilities docs, and policy acknowledgments.

KPIs That Prove Legal ROI

• Compliance: 100% on-time authorizer submissions; zero missed audits.
• Contracts: median days from vendor selection to executed MSA; % of contracts with data-security and breach-notice clauses.
• Privacy: # of records requests closed on time; zero reportable privacy incidents.
• HR: completion rate for staff policy acknowledgments; time-to-close for HR investigations.
• Insurance/Facilities: % of leases and major contracts aligned with endorsements; incident closure times.
• Governance: board attendance, timely minutes, conflict disclosures on file.

FAQs from Charter School Leaders

Bottom Line

For General Counsel services tailored to your charter school—governance, authorizer compliance, student data privacy, vendor contracts, HR, facilities/leases, safety, and dispute prevention—contact Attorney Yoel Molina at admin@molawoffice.com, call (305) 548-5020 (Option 1), or WhatsApp (305) 349-3637.