Symposium on K-12 Education Law:

Transforming Futures:
Education, Law, and Youth Wellbeing

Friday, February 27, 2026

9:30 AM Seating and CLE Registration
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Program
Reception to Follow

Dean Alexander Moot Court Room (Room 421)
1928 Building, 4th Floor
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208

Registration

Attendee List

Mark your calendars for the Government Law Review Symposium on K-12 Education Law, "Transforming Futures: Education, Law, and Youth Wellbeing," on February 27, 2026.

Topics of discussion will include pressing issues in the state budget and legislative session, supporting students with disabilities, and promoting equity in K-12 education. This free program is open to the public and includes Continuing Legal Education credit for attorneys who attend in person (pending).

This program is presented by the Government Law Review, Vol. 19, and Government Law Center at Albany Law School.

Schedule

9:30 AM Seating and CLE Registration

10:00 AM Opening Remarks

• Patrick Wildes ’16 — Director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School
• Konrad Dalland ’26 — Editor-in-Chief, Government Law Review, Vol. 19
• Jessie Sullivan ’26 — Managing Editor for Business and Production, Government Law Review, Vol. 19
   

10:15 AM Panel: Pressing Issues Facing K-12 Education in New York State
Part of the 2026 Warren M. Anderson ’40 Legislative Series Presented by the Government Law Center at Albany Law School
 

• Moderated by Kyle Belokopitsky, Esq. ’05 — Executive Director, New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers
• Hon. Shelley B. Mayer — New York State Senator, 37th Senate District, and Chair of the Senate Committee on Education
• Robert Reilly, Esq. ’93 — General Counsel, NYSUT
• Brian Cechnicki — Executive Director, Association of School Business Officials of New York
• Jeffrey Matteson — Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy, New York State Education Department
• Shanell C. Brown, M.Ed. — President, Black and Brown Educators of the Capital District, and Assistant Principal, City School District of Albany

11:45 AM Lunch Keynote: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Children and Teens in New York State

• Ann Marie Sullivan, MD — Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health
   

12:30 PM Panel: Special Education Law and Supporting Students with Disabilities

• Moderated by Dean Rosemary Queenan — Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, Albany Law School
• Prof. Bridgit M. Burke — Clinical Professor of Law Emerita, Albany Law School
• Prof. Amy Saji — Associate Professor of Law and Health Advocacy and Collaboration Law Clinic Director, Seton Hall Law School
• Jacob D. Verchereau, Esq. — School Attorney, Questar III BOCES
• Prof. Adrian E. Alvarez — Assistant Professor of Law, St. John’s University School of Law

1:30 PM Panel: Equity in Education

• Moderated by Prof. Connie Mayer — Raymond & Ella Smith Distinguished Professor, Albany Law
• Prof. Diana Newmark — Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Education Advocacy Clinic, and Distinguished Public Service Scholar, The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
• Prof. Thalia Gonzalez — Professor of Law and the James Edgar Hervey ’50 Chair of Litigation, UC Law San Francisco
• Rohini Singh, Esq. — Director of the School Justice Project, Advocates for Children of New York
• Clarissa Jacobs — Native American Education Coordinator, New York State Education Department

3:00 PM Networking Reception

Accessibility Notes

• The 1928 Building is wheelchair accessible, with accessible parking, a ramp at the main entrance, and an elevator to access the fourth floor.
• A Family Nursing Lounge is available in Room W215 for nursing parents.
• A virtual attendance option may be available via Zoom with captions upon request.
• If you require accommodations due to disability or language needs, please contact us to request accommodations at least 1 week before the event.

CLE INFORMATION

Albany Law School’s Center for Continuing Legal Education has been certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board as an accredited provider of Continuing Legal Education in the State of New York. This program has been accredited as a source of continuing legal education credits for both transitional and non-transitional attorneys in New York State (PENDING). Continuing Legal Education credit is available for in-person attendance only.

For financial hardship guidelines, please call the Center for Continuing Legal Education at 518-472-5888.

New York State Continuing Legal Education Board regulations state that credit shall be awarded only for attendance at an entire course or program, or for attendance at an entire session of a course or program. No credit shall be awarded for attending a portion of a course or a portion of a session.
 

Accommodations

Should you require accommodations due to a disability, please contact Albany Law School’s Center for Continuing Legal Education at 518-472-5888 at least one week prior to the course to discuss your requirements.