Office of General Counsel
Who We Are
Name
Title/Function
Room
Phone
Ron English
General Counsel
Legal Advisor to the Board, Superintendent, and
Senior District Administrators; Ethics; Operations;
Finance; Construction; Contracts; General
Business Issues; School District Governance
3082
252-0110
John Cerqui
Acting General Counsel
Labor and Employment for Certificated,
Paraprofessional, Office Personnel, and NonRepresented Staff; Personal Injury Claims;
Lawsuit Management; Public Disclosure
Commission
3083
252-0115
Nazik Youssef
Assistant General Counsel
Labor and Employment for IUOE Local 609,
Building Trades, Machinists, Teamsters, and
Carpenters Represented Staff; Special Education
and Section 504 (SE and SW Regions); FERPA;
Technology
3058
252-0113
Andrea Schiers
Sr. Assistant General Counsel
Special Education and Section 504 (NE, NW, and
C Regions); Student Issues and Discipline (SE
and SW Regions)
3082
252-0116
Ronald Boy
Assistant General Counsel
Student Issues and Discipline (NE, NW, and C
Regions); Global Student Policy Issues; Student
Transportation; McKinney Vento; Truancy; Student
Assignment and Enrollment Issues; Curriculum
and Instruction; Advanced Learning; Athletics;
Contracts; Public Records; Accounting; Safety &
Security; Restriction Letters
3059
252-0114
Amy Carter
Senior Legal Assistant
Senior Legal Assistant to Andrea Schiers; Special
Education; Special Education Student OCR
Issues; Student Assignment & Enrollment Appeals
3062
252-0123
Laurel Ferguson
Legal Assistant/Public Records Officer
Legal Assistant to John Cerqui; Ronald Boy and
Nazik Youssef. Scheduling of Student Discipline
Hearings (Board Appeals); No Trespass
Restriction Letters; Property Loss Claims; Public
Records
3063
252-0117
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Carole
Rusimovic
Senior Legal Assistant/504 Program
Coordinator
Legal Assistant to John Cerqui and Nazik Youssef.
Central 504 Program Coordinator; Student 504
OCR Issues; Processing/Tracking Claims for
Damages; Unreimbursed Medical Claims
3064
252-0118
Natasha Walicki
Legal Assistant/Public Records Officer
Public Records Requests; Legal Assistant to
John Cerqui and Ronald Boy (Public Records);
Ethics
3061
252-0122
Robin Wyman
Senior Legal Assistant/Office Manager
Legal Assistant to John Cerqui; Office Manager;
Student and Employee Records
Requests/Subpoenas; Personal Services
Contracts; Budget; Equipment and Supplies
3071
252-0110
Lorraine Lee
Administrative Assistant/Public Records
Administrative Support to Public Records Officer
3061
252-0110
What We Do
The General Counsel’s Office provides legal services to the Seattle Public Schools, including the School
Board, Superintendent, and District Administrators, to ensure legal compliance across all District operations
and reduce potential liability.
Staff attorneys represent and counsel clients in a variety of practice areas:
• Ethics Policy Compliance
• School Board Operations
• Open Public Meetings Act Compliance
• Litigation Management and Tort Claims
• Facilities and Capital Projects
• Construction bids, Contracts and Claims
• Contracts and Procurement
• District and School Operations
• Policy and Procedure Development and Compliance
• Property Management & Property Sales
• Statutory and Regulatory Analysis
• Labor and Employment Issues
• Educational Operations Issues
• Student 504 Accommodation
• Special Education
• Student Issues
• Public Records and Student Records Compliance
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• Risk Management (Risk and Loss Prevention)
• District Safety and Security
• Constitutional Issues
Ten Questions
Q: How do I submit a Public Records Request?
A: Fax or e-mail a request to publicrecords@seattleschools.org. Staff handling public
records requests are Laurel Ferguson, @ llferguson@seattleschools.org; and Natasha
Walicki, @ nnwalicki@seattleschools.org; fax #(206) 252-0111.
Q: Why does it take so long to get Public Records data?
A: The Public Records Office is staffed by two employees who work only part-time on
public records requests. We receive hundreds of requests every year, most with multiple
questions. That number is growing in both volume and complexity. Over the course of
the 2013-2014 school year, we received almost 400 requests.
Although every effort is made to answer requests as soon as possible, the Public
Records Officers have to juggle gathering and review of records with other important
District tasks. The process of locating and gathering records is a manual one, and each
gathered record must be carefully inspected for confidential or protected information
before release.
The best thing you can do to expedite receipt of requested records is to be very specific
about what you want—giving a narrow date range and detailed description of the records
you want will help the Public Records Officers quickly locate them and cut down on the
time it takes to review unnecessary or unresponsive records.
Q: How can I ask for my student’s records?
A: You can obtain a complete copy of your student’s cumulative folder by contacting the
school directly. If you want to order all existing records, please contact Robin Wyman @
rwyman@seattleschools.org,
Q: How do I file a claim for damages or unreimbursed medical expenses?
A: If you believe that you were financially harmed or damaged and that the District may
be responsible for your harm or damage, you may contact Carole Rusimovic for the
appropriate claim form, @ crusimovic@seattleschools.org
Q: Who can accept service of a lawsuit?
A: Only attorneys are authorized to accept service against the Seattle School District or
the District Superintendent. Please call the General Counsel’s Office to make sure that
an attorney is present and available to accept service. You may contact the General
Counsel’s Office at 206-252-0115.
Q: What does this restraining order or parenting plan mean?
A: When a school receives a restraining order or a parenting plan and has questions
about the legal ramifications of the order or plan, the General Counsel’s Office can
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interpret those documents for school personnel. Please send a copy via e-mail or fax to
(206) 252-0111, or contact Robin Wyman @ rwyman@seattleschools.org. We cannot
provide advice to parents.
Q: How does a student get a 504 plan?
A: A referral needs to be made to the school the student is attending. Once a referral is
received, the Student Intervention Team (SIT) will then determine if the student will be
evaluated for 504. If the team agrees to conduct an evaluation, the SIT will gather all
documentation/input from teachers and others and make a decision based on the
documentation/input. Once the evaluation is complete, based on the SIT’s decision, will
determine whether the student qualifies for a 504 plan. If the student qualifies, the SIT
along with teachers and parents, would then write up a plan for a student that is good for
3 years. Any questions, contract Carole Rusimovic @ crusimovic@seattleschools.org.
Q: What is the process and authority of staff to approve and sign contracts?
A: See School Board Policy 6220 and the Superintendent Procedures implementing that
policy. The Office of General Counsel, Contracts Management, Purchasing and the
Accounting Department developed a contracts matrix called the “Responsibilities for
Review, Approval, and Execution of Contracts and Other Agreements”. This document
lists who can approve and sign various contracts.
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Con
tent/procurement%20and%20distribution%20services/matrix.pdf
Q: Do Parents have the right to access their student’s special education records?
A: The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”) governs
parental rights of access to educational records and protects a student’s privacy interests
in his or her education records. FERPA gives parents the right to inspect and review their
children’s education records, the right to seek to have those records amended, and the
right to have some control over the disclosure of information from those records. Contact
Robin Wyman, @ rwyman@seattleschools.org, or Amy Carter, @
amcarter@seattleschools.org, to obtain copies of special education records.
Q: Who can act as parents for special educational decision making?
A: For the purposes of IDEA a parent is defined as:
1.
A biological or adoptive parent of a child;
2.
A foster parent;
3.
A guardian generally authorized to act as the child's parent, or authorized to
make educational decisions for the student, but not the state, if the student
is a ward of the state;
4.
An individual acting in the place of a biological or adoptive parent including
a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative with whom the student lives, or
an individual who is legally responsible for the student's welfare; or
5.
A surrogate parent who has been appointed in accordance with WAC 392172A-05130.
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