Kelin, McHugh to Address Religious Rights in Schools at PSBSA Annual Workshop
New Britain, PA – Two attorneys from Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams LLP will be among the featured presenters at the Pennsylvania School Board Solicitors Association (PSBSA) annual School Law Workshop on Monday, October 20, 2025, at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Poconos. The workshop offers practical strategies and solutions for legal issues affecting public schools.
Howard L. Kelin, who is of counsel to the firm and is a past president of PSBSA, along with Senior Associate Rose E. McHugh will present a session on Freedom of Religion in Public Schools, giving attendees practical insights into how First Amendment clauses were developed by our Founding Fathers, and how Supreme Court rulings have shaped both the accommodation of religion and the protection against government establishment of religion in public schools.
Kelin is an accomplished Education Law attorney. In 2021, he was recognized by PSBSA with the President’s Award for Distinguished Career Achievement in School Law. Currently, Kelin focuses on mentoring and learning from other attorneys on a wide variety of school law topics, including student matters, tax assessment cases, commercial litigation, construction law, and labor and employment law.
McHugh focuses her practice on special education and student services. Before joining the firm, she served in the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, which included prosecuting cases in the Juvenile Division, the Special Victims Division, and Narcotics Division, as well as acting as the Mental Health Liaison.
This annual event brings together school law practitioners from across the commonwealth for expert-level sessions. In addition to Kelin and McHugh’s presentation, this year’s topics include special education, federal court developments, and labor and employment updates. Attorneys can earn multiple substantive CLE credits, while non-attorney school leaders will benefit from targeted, practical content. For more information, visit https://www.psba.org/school-solicitors-association.
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 25 attorneys who represent over 290 school and municipal entities as Solicitors or as Special Counsel in more than 50 counties throughout Pennsylvania, and in additional practice areas, such as Construction Law, Tax Assessment Appeals, Audit of Operations and Practices, Real Estate Law and Oil, Gas and Mineral Law.