26-27 Principal Rookie and Refresher Series

September 23, 2026 – From Honeymoon to Hell: What to Have Accomplished in the First Few Weeks

The “to do list” for principals is long.  This presentation is a reminder on the key items to check off your list before you get too far into the school year…if you haven’t already.  To name a few: make sure your employment posters are up; make sure your student handbook was distributed, acknowledgements received, and posted conspicuously in each school building; develop a schedule for completing certified evaluations; make sure your teachers have licenses current (and don't pay them if they don't); know who your 504, Title IX, and Title VI Coordinators are and that this information is posted in handbook and website; know your policy on staff boundaries and make sure they are familiar with permissible forms of communication; have staff completed mandatory annual trainings; know child find and triggers.

October 21, 2026 – Certified Evaluations and Improvement Plans

You cannot fix what you never discuss, and you cannot defend what you never wrote down.  This session highlights your obligations to evaluate certificated staff under state law and board policy, including who must be evaluated, how often, and by whom.  Learn to draft meaningful evaluations that pair honest feedback with concrete suggestions for improvement instead of inflated ratings that haunt you later.  We’ll also cover how to use improvement plans to remediate unsatisfactory performance and target specific skill deficits, so the plan actually changes practice rather than just papering the file.

November 24, 2026 – Who Put This IEP Meeting On My Calendar?

IEP meetings have a way of appearing on your calendar whether you planned for them or not.  This session covers when the law actually requires a meeting, from annual reviews to parent requests to changes in placement, and when an amendment agreement will do instead.  We’ll take a close look at the parent’s role as a required team member and what meaningful participation demands of your team.  We’ll also unpack the principal’s seat at the table, whether serving as the district representative or as the individual knowledgeable about general education programs, and what each of those roles requires you to actually know and be able to commit to.

December 17, 2026 – Responding to Student Misconduct

When a student misbehaves, the first steps you take often determine whether the discipline sticks.  This session walks through misconduct from first report to final consequence: how to investigate thoroughly and fairly, and when and how you can search students, their belongings, their lockers, and their phones.  We’ll then survey the forms of discipline available under the Student Discipline Act and detail the process you must follow for long-term discipline, so your response holds up when a lawyer, a hearing officer, or an angry parent starts asking questions.

January 27, 2027 – For the Record

Every file in your building is a lawsuit, a records request, or a subpoena waiting to happen.  This session covers maintaining student and staff records confidentially and responding to individual requests in conformance with state and federal law, including FERPA and the IDEA.  Learn who may access what, when consent is required, and how to respond when a parent, employee, or outsider comes asking.  We’ll also cover the state records retention schedules so you know what you must keep, how long you must keep it, and when you can finally let it go.

February 24, 2027 – Little Pig, Little Pig, Let Me In!  Enrollment and Attendance

Not every child who knocks is entitled to come in, and some who never knock are entitled to a seat.  This session covers everything enrollment under state law: residence enrollment, foster care enrollment, option enrollment, and the special rules for students experiencing homelessness.  We’ll also work through mandatory attendance and its edge cases, including testing into pre-kindergarten, redshirting kindergartners, and withdrawing students from mandatory attendance due to hardship.  Leave with a clear picture of who gets in, who must attend, and what to do when families push back on either answer.

March 25, 2027 – Continuing Contracts and Personnel Actions

In Nebraska, a teaching contract renews itself unless you act, and the window for acting is smaller than you think.  This session explains teacher tenure rights and how certificated contracts renew automatically.  We’ll then walk through the processes and procedures for nonrenewal, termination and cancellation, including the timelines, notices, and hearings that trip up even experienced administrators.  If someone on your staff just doesn’t fit your long-term plans for your building and district, this session shows you how to act on that conclusion lawfully and on time.

April 29, 2027 – Responding to Complaints (And Complainers)

Some patrons complain once; some make it a hobby.  Either way, you need to know the playing field.  This session surveys the rights patrons have to complain under board policy, the Open Meetings Act, and the public records laws, plus complaints to administrative agencies like OCR, OSEP, and NDE, and what each process demands of your district.  We’ll also cover suits under the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act and the instances when individual educators can be held personally liable for what occurs in the educational environment.  Learn to respond to complaints in ways that resolve issues early and protect your district and your people when they can’t be resolved.

May 19, 2027 – Parent Rights (And Parent Fights!)

Parents hold more legal cards than most administrators realize, and they are playing them more often than ever.  Setting special education aside, this session focuses on parents’ rights to remove students from curricular activities and opt them out of particular books and experiences, and on the limits of those rights.  We’ll cover parents’ rights to inspect curriculum and instructional materials under state law, and to hold a student back a grade.  Leave knowing where the law requires you to yield, where it lets you stand firm, and how to tell an insistent parent the difference.