Sweet Stevens Attorneys to Speak at Pennsylvania Bar School Law Update
News Release
New Britain, PA – Two attorneys from Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams LLP are featured speakers at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) 2023 School Law Update on November 28, 2023. Partner David F. Conn and Senior Associate Andrea Lynne Cola will share important updates on the latest developments in Pennsylvania education law and practice.
Schools have become some of the most heated political battlegrounds, including book bans, curriculum changes, Critical Race Theory, and the rights of students who identify as LBGTQIA+. Conn will be part of a panel on “Supportive and Inclusive Schools,” sharing challenges encountered by some districts and students, and how the results impact school administrators, teachers, school boards, students, and parents.
Cola will join other special education law practitioners to present “Hot Topics in Special Education,” discussing such topics as chronic transportation issues, COVID compensatory education, extended school year, transition planning, and the availability of damages under the recent Supreme Court decision in Perez v. Sturgis.
Both Sweet Stevens attorneys bring extensive experience in education law. Conn has represented public entities, including county agencies, townships, boroughs, school districts and municipal authorities. He has appeared in everything from administrative hearings to appeals before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He focuses his practice on employee discrimination, labor and employment, municipal law, right-to-know law, solicitor services, special education, and student services.
Cola works on matters involving civil rights, special education, and student services. Prior to joining Sweet Stevens, she was an attorney for the School District of Philadelphia in its Special Education Unit. There, she managed a high volume of claims and complaints against the district. She also worked for the Defender Association of Philadelphia, enforcing the rights of children in matters involving abuse, dependency/parental rights, education conflicts/issues, and ongoing support.
The School Law Update 2023 will take place at various locations throughout Pennsylvania and will also be simulcast so that participants can attend remotely. For more information or to sign up, visit the PBI’s website.
Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams, LLP was formed in 1995 by nine experienced education lawyers who created the first private law practice in Pennsylvania dedicated entirely to Education Law. Since then, the firm has grown to 23 attorneys who represent over 290 school and municipal entities as Solicitors or as Special Counsel in more than 50 counties throughout Pennsylvania.