A commonly held principle of effective leadership is the need for certain latitude to act within the spirit and intent of institutional policy and regulations. Because schools in contemporary society are often both very personal and very "public" at the same time occasionally the lines between administrative directive and necessary leadership discretion can become blurred.
As a result potential personal liability can occur between an AEL member, the employer and, indeed, the public. Sometime in such instances, educational leaders need recourse to legal assistance.
AEL members have the benefit of such assistance in basically four levels
of involvement.
- 01. First, and most fundamental, is legal protection for all AEL members through free-of-charge access to legal counsel. Counsel can provide advice for professional or even personal matters regarding options and/or legal referrals when needed.
- 02. A second level of no-cost professional legal counsel is in the instance of a complaint or formal grievance initiated by a Unit 2 member because of an alleged unfair or unwarranted treatment or action by a supervisor in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This, too, is no-cost assistance.
- 03. The third and more serious level of AEL member protection is financial support up to $500 for legal assistance in those instances where the Board of Education acts inappropriately against an AEL member outside the scope of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. These cases usually involve some disciplinary action brought against an AEL member for an alleged violation of Board policy, rule or regulation . The member has attorney of choice in these instances.
- 04. The fourth level of protection for AEL members occurs when AEL initiates legal action on behalf of the Association or a class of Association members. Individual member costs are minimized or often non-existent depending on the nature of the involvement by the Association.
Richard Kovelant, Executive Director and AEL
Legal Counsel