Sweet Stevens to Present PAPSA Conference Finale
News Release
New Britain, PA – Four attorneys from Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams will present the final session of the 2020 Pennsylvania Association of Pupil Service Administrators (PAPSA) conference on April 1-3, 2020 at the historic Genetti Hotel & Suites in Williamsport, PA. The closing session, the Paul Stevens Memorial Legal Seminar, is named for a founding partner of the law firm and is considered a highlight of the conference. It is a full day program to be held on Fri., April 3.
Now in its 19th year, the Paul Stevens Memorial Legal Seminar will feature attorneys Jane M. Williams, Sharon W. Montanye, Thomas C. Warner and Leslie A. Collins. They will share information on recent court decisions that affect special education and pupil services.
- Jane M. Williams, partner, brings 25 years of experience in special education law. She has served as a hearing officer and advisor to school boards in student expulsion matters and provided school district boards with in-service programs concerning special education and pupil services.
- Sharon W. Montanye, managing partner, understands the underlying issues that influence pupil services, special education litigation and school law issues generally. Prior to joining the practice of law, she spent nearly a dozen years working in the field of education as a certified teacher, administrator, grant writer, and peer reviewer for both the U.S. Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
- Thomas C. Warner, partner, represents Pennsylvania school districts and entities in matters of special education. He also provides in-service training to districts on a variety of matters including the development of defensible special education programming and confidentiality/disclosure issues involving education records.
- Leslie A. Collins, of counsel, concentrates her work in special education and student services. Prior to joining the firm, she was a staff attorney for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. She provided counsel on matters pertaining to individuals with disabilities, special education, assessment and accommodations, child protective services, student records, school funding, ESEA, establishment of religion, school violence, and other legal issues.
This year’s PAPSA conference theme is Pupil Services Administration: Welcome to the Major Leagues. PAPSA is the only organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania specifically devoted to issues concerning pupil services programs in schools. Members of the organization have supervisory or administrative responsibility in fields such as counseling, health, psychology, home and school visitation, social work, special education, gifted education and student assistance. For more information, visit papsa-web.org.
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 20 attorneys who represent over 290 school and municipal entities as Solicitors or as Special Counsel in more than 50 counties throughout Pennsylvania.