For inquiries, please contact our Front Desk at fd@molawoffice.com or Admin at admin@molawoffice.com. You can also reach us by phone at +1 305-548-5020, option 1.

For traffic ticket assistance, visit molinatrafficticket.com.

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

What “Outside General Counsel” Looks Like for a Private School

• Protect academics and revenue (clean enrollment contracts, disciplined collections, predictable vendor/landlord terms).
• Prevent incidents (student safety, data/privacy, employment, and field-trip/transportation protocols).
• Speed decisions (plain-English guidance and ready-to-use templates).
• Align promises and coverage (your contracts and policies match your insurance).

12 High-Impact Areas Where General Counsel Adds Value

1) Governance & Board Practices

• Update bylaws, conflict-of-interest/ethics policies, committee charters, and board onboarding.
• Board agendas/minutes discipline; document retention and public communications guardrails.
• Head of School and CFO/Business Office delegations; signature authority and spending thresholds. Outcome: smoother leadership decisions and fewer governance surprises.

2) Enrollment Contracts, Tuition & Financial Policies

• Modern enrollment agreements with clear payment schedules, late fees, interest, withdrawal/early termination, force majeure, and dispute resolution.
• Collections playbook that pairs contract rights with step-by-step procedures (reminders → demand letters → escalation).
• Tuition insurance disclosures and refund policies that match processor/card-brand standards. Outcome: predictable cash flow and fewer tuition disputes.

3) Student & Family Handbooks (Behavior, Discipline, Technology)

• Clarify student conduct, bullying/harassment, academic integrity, activity eligibility, and appeal paths consistent with your philosophy.
• Device/BYOD, acceptable use, social media, and classroom technology rules.
• Parent conduct & communication standards; volunteer expectations. Outcome: consistent expectations and fewer contentious escalations.

4) Privacy & Data (School Systems, Websites, Apps)

• Map student data flows across SIS/LMS, email, texting, learning apps, portals, and marketing tools.
• Vendor Data Processing Addenda (security standards, sub-processors, breach notice clocks, deletion/return of data).
• Website Terms of Use and Privacy Policy tailored to analytics, cookies, forms, and COPPA considerations for under-13 online interactions.
• Directory information and photo/media consent practices; procedures for records requests and subpoenas. Outcome: fewer privacy incidents and faster responses to parent and third-party requests.

5) Student Safety, Field Trips & Transportation

• Comprehensive field-trip packets: permission, risks, medical info, meds administration authority, emergency contacts, and vendor/transport releases.
• Transportation contracts (buses/charters) with safety, routing, driver screening, incident procedures, and insurance requirements.
• After-school activities, athletics, and off-campus events: supervision ratios, concussion/heat protocols, and incident logs. Outcome: safer experiences and defensible documentation.

6) Health, Medical Forms & Accommodations

• Annual health forms, medication storage/administration, allergy/anaphylaxis plans, and communicable disease protocols.
• ADA/504-style accommodations playbook (even where not strictly required by law) consistent with your mission and resources.
• Staff training on confidentiality and escalation. Outcome: appropriate support for students and reduced dispute risk.

7) Employment & HR Hygiene

• Offers and employment agreements (where used), concise employee handbook (timekeeping, leave, harassment, social media, confidentiality, outside work/volunteering, device use).
• Proper exempt/non-exempt classifications, overtime practices, and stipend/coach arrangements.
• Separation checklists (property return, system deprovisioning, confidentiality reminders, final pay).
• Volunteer policies and background screening alignment with applicable standards. Outcome: fewer HR claims and smoother hiring/exits.

8) Vendor, SaaS & Facilities Contracts

• Standard MSAs, RFP/RFQ templates, and school-friendly terms for technology, curriculum, photography/yearbook, security, custodial, cafeteria, and transportation.
• Service levels, downtime credits, breach notice, data ownership/export, and transition assistance.
• Balanced indemnities and liability caps aligned to your insurance. Outcome: reliable operations and leverage when something breaks.

9) Real Estate, Leases & Campus Services

• Leases with build-out, maintenance, CAM reconciliation, signage, parking, drop-off/pick-up logistics, ADA, and landlord access protocols.
• Insurance clauses— Additional Insured, Primary/Non-Contributory, Waiver of Subrogation—matched to policy endorsements (avoid uninsured promises).
• For owned facilities: vendor and construction agreements with milestone payments, lien waivers, and delay remedies. Outcome: campuses that work for instruction without hidden liabilities.

10) Fundraising, Donations & Sponsorships

• Gift acceptance policies; documentation for donations, sponsorships, and in-kind gifts; recognition/naming rights; restricted funds tracking.
• Event/auction rules, alcohol service considerations (if applicable), and raffle/sweepstakes compliance. Outcome: dollars that stick and clean audits.

11) Marketing, Communications & Reputation

• Website and social content review (truth-in-advertising for outcomes, scholarships, rankings, and college placement claims).
• Media response SOPs, crisis communications, and social-media monitoring boundaries.
• Consistent bilingual (English/Español) parent communications in Miami-Dade. Outcome: clear messaging that builds trust and reduces complaint risk.

12) Insurance Alignment with Real-World Risk

• Match contracts (leases, buses, vendors) to policy endorsements: GL, EDU-E&O/D&O, EPLI, cyber, abuse/molestation coverage, and umbrella.
• Certificate tracking, renewal calendars, and claim-notice SOPs. Outcome: no gaps between what you promised and what your policies cover.

A 90-Day General Counsel Plan for Private Schools

Days 1–15: Baseline & Quick Wins

• Leadership/Board huddle to identify Top 5 risks (impact on academics, finances, reputation).
• Ship updates to enrollment contract, tuition/collections policy, and parent/student handbooks (conduct, tech, communications).
• Patch high-risk vendor contracts (data security, breach notice, transition help).
• Confirm insurance endorsements match lease and vendor demands; issue updated COIs.

Days 16–45: Institutionalize

• Load approved templates: vendor MSAs/RFPs, DPAs, employment docs, volunteer/background screening forms, field-trip packets, transportation agreements, parent letters (English/Español), website Terms/Privacy.
• Publish a compliance calendar (license renewals, drills, audits, board cycles, fundraising events).
• Run 60-minute trainings for administrators on: (1) contracts 101, (2) privacy/data requests, and (3) incident reporting & crisis comms.

Days 46–90: Measure & Optimize

• Track KPIs (below) and close any audit/findings.
• Tabletop drills: data incident, transport/field-trip emergency, and media inquiry.
• Prepare a readiness binder for re-accreditation/inspection: policies, contracts, insurance, trainings, acknowledgments.

KPIs That Prove Legal ROI

• Cash/Enrollment: % signed enrollment contracts by deadline; DSO on tuition; disputes resolved without chargebacks.
• Privacy: # of records/consent requests closed on time; zero reportable privacy incidents.
• HR: policy acknowledgment completion; time-to-close HR matters; hiring/back-grounding on schedule.
• Safety/Trips: trip packet completion rate; incident closure times; transportation vendor compliance checks.
• Contracts: median days from vendor selection to executed MSA; % of contracts with data-security & breach-notice clauses.
• Insurance/Facilities: % of leases and major contracts aligned with endorsements; number of uninsured gaps = 0.

FAQs from Private School Leaders

Bottom Line