Tom Mooney and Natalia Sieira Millan will present the Connecticut Associations of Schools webinar “Free Speech in Our Schools: What are the Rules for Teachers, Principals and Others?”  They will sort out the rules on free speech protections as they apply to public employees, including personal use of social media and other online speech.

Public employees generally have a right of free speech on matters of public concern as long as their speech is not disruptive of the operation of their employer. Moreover, when teachers and others engage in speech as part of their job duties, their speech may be regulated without regard to First Amendment rights. But school administrators understandably have many questions, such as how to define a “public concern” and what would constitute “disruption” that strips away First Amendment protections? With so many employees working from home and social media being such a dominant force these days, it is also hard to know what speech is personal and what speech is professional.

​​​​​​​For more information please visit the CAS event page here.

WHEN: December 16, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST
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Photo of Thomas B. Mooney Thomas B. Mooney

Tom is chair emeritus of the School Law Practice Group and is active in all areas of school law, including labor negotiations for certified and non-certified staff, teacher tenure proceedings, grievance arbitration, freedom of information hearings, student disciplinary matters, special education disputes and…

Tom is chair emeritus of the School Law Practice Group and is active in all areas of school law, including labor negotiations for certified and non-certified staff, teacher tenure proceedings, grievance arbitration, freedom of information hearings, student disciplinary matters, special education disputes and all other legal proceedings involving boards of education. Tom is the author of A Practical Guide to Connecticut School Law (9th Edition, 2018), a comprehensive treatise on Connecticut school law, and two columns, “See You in Court!,” which appears in the CABE Journal, and “Legal Mailbag,” which appears in the CAS Bulletin.

Photo of Natalia Sieira-Millan Natalia Sieira-Millan

Natalia Sieira Millan advises public school districts on all aspects of school law, and she also teaches school law at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut as well as the Quinnipiac University School of Education.  Prior to joining the…

Natalia Sieira Millan advises public school districts on all aspects of school law, and she also teaches school law at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut as well as the Quinnipiac University School of Education.  Prior to joining the firm, Attorney Sieira Millan was an Assistant Agency Legal Director with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.