Events

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Cyber Smart Schools (Members Only) 

Thursday, October 15 @ 1 p.m.
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Cyber incidents can disrupt school operations, compromise sensitive information, and create significant financial and reputational impacts. Join CharterSAFE and Crum & Forster for a practical discussion of real-world cyber events affecting educational organizations, including phishing, ransomware, data breaches, vendor-related incidents, and emerging AI-enabled scams.

Participants will learn how these incidents occurred, the warning signs to watch for, and practical strategies to help prevent, respond to, and recover from cyber events.

RECORDED WEBINARS

Recognize the Warning Signs: Where Employment Risk Begins (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, September 24, 2026
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Employment lawsuits rarely start with a lawsuit—they often begin with a workplace decision, conversation, or missed warning sign. This opening webinar takes a close look at the most common employment claims facing California charter schools and the everyday decisions that can put schools on a path toward litigation. Join CharterSAFE and Jonathan Fraser Light, Esq., Managing Partner and Co-Founder of LightGabler, a premier employment law firm, for a lively, real-world discussion about where employment risk begins and how quickly it can escalate. Through practical examples and real-world claim patterns, participants will explore risk points across the employee lifecycle, from hiring and performance management to complaints, discipline, and separation. We’ll examine how inconsistent practices, documentation gaps, poor communication, and delayed responses can turn a manageable workplace concern into a formal claim. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to spot the warning signs early, recognize when leadership and HR decisions may create legal exposure, and identify opportunities to intervene before a concern becomes a lawsuit. The goal: recognize the risk, respond sooner, and make smarter employment decisions before the warning signs become red flags.

Protecting Your Campus: Property Loss Prevention and Recovery (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, September 10, 2026
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Property claims often begin long before a fire, storm, or water leak occurs. This session focuses on practical pre-loss planning, facility inspections, maintenance programs, asset inventories, and the immediate steps schools should take following a property loss to improve recovery and reduce disruption.

Workers' Compensation After the Injury: Your Role in a Successful Claim (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, August 27, 2026
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Learn what happens after a workers' compensation claim is reported and the important role your school plays throughout the life of the claim.

This session covers:

• communication with the claims adjuster,
• return-to-work strategies,
• fraud awareness, and
• practical steps that improve outcomes while reducing claim costs.

Ready? Set? Go! HR For the Fall Semester 2026-2027 School Year (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, June, 2026
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Get your HR team ready for the 2026–2027 school year with key HR updates, legal compliance guidance, and a month-by-month task roadmap tailored for the Fall Semester at charter schools.

This webinar prepares charter school HR teams for the 2026–2027 school year by covering new HR laws effective in 2026 and addressing common fall semester challenges like performance management, leaves, and separations. We will provide a detailed overview of monthly HR tasks to help plan summer activities and stay organized throughout the school year. Key takeaways include understanding updated legal obligations, implementing best practices for managing employee issues, and developing a proactive HR calendar to reduce risks and improve efficiency.

Smart Contracting: Insurance Essentials for Charter Schools (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, May 7, 2026
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Learn how to protect your school through smart contract provisions and insurance best practices when working with vendors and contractors.

Managing vendor risk is critical to safeguarding your school from legal and financial exposure. This webinar, led by CharterSAFE’s Insurance and Risk Management team, walks you through practical steps to set clear insurance requirements, review Certificates of Insurance (COIs), and incorporate protective contract language. You’ll walk away with tools to reduce liability, verify vendor compliance, and confidently manage third-party partnerships.

Managing Childhood Sexual Assault (CSA) Allegations and Claims in Schools (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, April 9, 2026
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Learn how to respond effectively to CSA allegations while protecting students, complying with legal obligations, and minimizing liability exposure.

This webinar provides practical guidance for school leaders on handling CSA allegations with care, urgency, and legal compliance. Topics include mandated reporting, preserving evidence, coordinating with authorities, and managing liability and claims reporting. Attendees will walk away with clear action steps, reporting protocols, and insight into coverage considerations under CharterSAFE.

Employee Separations (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, March 12, 2026
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Gain a clear, step-by-step understanding of how to manage employee separations legally and respectfully, covering resignations, non-renewals, terminations, and staff reductions – to help protect your charter school from potential legal risks.

As the school year winds down, charter schools often face employee separations due to resignations, non-renewals, terminations, or staff reductions. This webinar offers a practical overview of the HR and payroll steps involved in managing separations in a compliant, respectful way to reduce legal risk. Takeaways include best practices for handling different types of separations, tips for clear documentation, and strategies to ensure smooth transitions for both staff and the organization.

Recruit Well, Hire Right for the 2026-2027 School Year (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, February 12, 2026
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Charter school HR teams will learn about the latest legal updates and practical strategies for recruiting and hiring credentialed and classified staff, effective interview practices, and onboarding best practices for the 2026-2027 school year.

CharterSAFE’s 5th annual Recruit Well & Hire Right webinar will guide HR teams through the full recruitment and hiring process—from job posting to onboarding. HR staff and school leadership will gain insights on structuring interviews, identifying red flags, conducting compliant reference checks under AB 2534, and ensuring legally sound hiring decisions. Practical takeaways include updated hiring forms, best practices for credential checks, and strategies for attracting and retaining high-quality staff.

The Power of Documentation: Protecting Your Charter School from Employee Lawsuits (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, January 29, 2026
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Learn from a leading employer defense attorney the critical role of documentation in defending against employee lawsuits related to discipline, termination, leaves of absence, and reasonable accommodations using real-life case studies.

This webinar focuses on the importance of proper documentation in managing employee issues such as discipline, termination, leaves of absence, and reasonable accommodations. A leading employer defense attorney will provide insight into how poor or missing documentation can lead to costly legal challenges for charter schools. We will use a risk assessment approach to analyze several scenarios based on actual claims, offering practical lessons and strategies to make a strong case for timely and thorough employee documentation to protect your charter school.

Property Loss Preparedness: Protecting Your School Facilities (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, January 22, 2026
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Learn how to prevent, respond to, and recover from property incidents with expert strategies tailored for charter schools.

Charter schools face growing risks from fire, water damage, vandalism, and natural disasters. This webinar, presented by CharterSAFE’s Risk Management team and ATI Restoration, will equip you with proactive tools and real-world strategies to safeguard your facilities and minimize disruptions. Takeaways include a risk assessment checklist, emergency response guidance, and tips for partnering effectively during recovery.

Ready? Set? Go! HR for the Spring Semester 2025-2026 School Year (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, December 11
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Get your charter school’s spring HR tasks organized, stay up to date on 2025-2026 employment regulations, and gain valuable insights- especially helpful for those new to HR or the charter school environment.

Our Ready Set Go webinar is designed to prepare charter school HR teams for the second half of the 2025-2026 school year. This session will cover new HR laws for 2025 and 2026, key spring semester HR challenges, and a month-by-month guide to staying on top of critical tasks. Whether you are new to HR to experience in the charter school space, you’ll leave with practical tools, compliance updates, and a clear plan for the months ahead.

Navigating 2026: Key HR & Risk Regulations for Charter Schools (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, December 4
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Stay ahead of compliance challenges with our upcoming webinar “Navigating 2026: Key HR & Risk Regulations for Charter Schools” designed exclusively for California charter school leaders and HR professionals. This informative session will review the latest HR and risk management laws impacting charter schools in 2026, to help navigate new requirements with confidence. Learn practical strategies to minimize risk, update policies, and strengthen your school’s compliance practices.

Supporting Employees Returning to Work (Members Only) 

Presented on Thursday, November 13
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Learn practical strategies to support smooth return-to-work transitions and navigate reasonable accommodations within the unique charter school environment.

Participants will gain a clear understanding of the return-to-work process, employer responsibilities under the law, how to effectively engage in the interactive accommodation dialogue, and best practices to help injured employees reintegrate successfully while promoting a supportive workplace culture.

Workers' Compensation Simplified: Your Role, Your Impact (Members Only)

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Join Susan Diamanti for a live webinar designed to simplify and clarify the workers’ compensation process. Whether you’re a school leader, office manager, or site support staff, you play an important role when a workplace injury occurs—and your actions can directly affect the outcome of a claim. We'll walk through CharterSAFE’s workers’ comp process, explain employer responsibilities, and highlight why timely reporting, accurate documentation, and strong collaboration with the claims adjuster matter. We’ll also touch on common pitfalls and how to avoid them, as well as how to support a smooth return-to-work process.

This session is ideal for anyone looking to strengthen their understanding of workers’ comp and feel more confident in managing claims at their site.

CharterSAFE HR Self-Assessment Webinar Series (Members Only) 

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Beginning July 2024, we launched a webinar series to be held throughout the 2024-2025 school year to provide you with an interactive review for your school to evaluate your employment practices against CharterSAFE’s recommendations. The HR Self-Assessment Series is a review of Human Resources best practices, internal policies and procedures, and general HR know-how.

HR Webinar: Terminations & Assessing Risk (Members Only)

Presented on February 26, 2025 
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Guest presenter, attorney Bernadette O’Brien, will discuss the complexities of employee terminations and how to minimize the risk of potential lawsuits.

Bernadette will explore the legal frameworks related to wrongful termination and other common employment disputes. Your charter school will gain valuable insights on conducting thorough risk assessments before making termination decisions to ensure compliance with employment laws. She will also analyze case studies to highlight common mistakes and share best practices for minimizing costly employment claims while effectively managing employee separation.

Leaves of Absence, Reasonable Accommodations & Workplace Restrictions (Open to All)

Mental Health in the Workplace (Members Only)

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“Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” Earlier this year a simple social media post from a beloved childhood character created a frenzy related to the question of society’s current mental health state. Over 175 million views helped spur conversations and caused an outpouring of emotional replies that warranted the attention of the media and Human Resources professionals.

CharterSAFE members continue to reach out regarding employee burnout, workplace stress, depression, and other mental health crises. As a result, we want to provide information to your school’s leadership and HR staff about mental health and provide resources to guide your workforce toward an empathetic and safe working environment. Using current trends and real-time scenarios, we will share the best steps for your charter school to take when engaging employees in difficult and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. We will also review Senate Bill 898 and how mental health challenges and concerns should be considered when developing a workplace violence prevention plan.

Documentation: Why It Matters for Discipline, Termination, Leaves & Reasonable Accommodations (Members Only)

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Bernadette O'Brien discusses why documentation matters when addressing employee issues regarding discipline, termination for cause, leaves of absence, and reasonable accommodations.

Meal and Rest Breaks - Why Minutes Matter (Members Only)

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Your charter school’s non-exempt/hourly employees are the “source” of most employee lawsuits, and most of these lawsuits allege your charter school did not provide these employees with compliant meal and rest breaks. To help your organization understand the legal ramifications and financial consequences of this major wage/hour issue, join us for a webinar presented by Bernadette M. O’Brien, Esq., a partner and employment law specialist at Floyd Skeren Manukian Langevin. Bernadette’s law firm helps to defend employers against these allegations, and she has a unique perspective on how to protect your charter school to address these wage/hour issues before they become employee lawsuits.

Managing Employee Performance Issues & Workplace Accommodation Requests (Members Only)

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With an increase in member requests for assistance in managing employee performance issues concurrent with their request for workplace accommodations, we want to help charter school leaders and HR staff understand the inherent challenges in navigating this “intersection” including how to avoid possible employee claims against your school. To facilitate this learning, we developed a webinar to review the employee discipline process, provide an overview of accommodations and exam the components of the reasonable accommodation/interactive dialogue process. Attendees will take these learning components and apply their knowledge to 3 real-time case studies. We will end the webinar with a review of the CharterSAFE accommodation forms.