Page 13 - 40thAnniversaryNJPSA

THROUGH THE YEARS
From the beginning, LEGAL ONE sought to go
beyond simply lecturing about School Law, and to
find innovative ways to engage and educate.
By the Spring of 2009, LEGAL ONE had launched
a series of four comprehensive online courses to
complement its in-person training. These online
courses included real-world scenarios, acted
out (often by NJPSA and FEA staff!) in order to
dramatize key legal principles. Scenario-based
learning has been a hallmark of LEGAL ONE ever
since, while LEGAL ONE’s library of online course
offerings has grown from the four original courses to
dozens of courses today.
In 2011, following the adoption of New Jersey’s Anti-
Bullying Bill of Rights, the New Jersey Department
of Education reached out to LEGAL ONE, along with
the New Jersey State Police, to develop a training
program on how to effectively conduct investigations
of bullying allegations.
In 2012, with the demand for LEGAL ONE services
growing exponentially, NJPSA Legal Counsel
David Nash moved from part-time LEGAL ONE
Coordinator to full-time LEGAL ONE Director, a
role that has since expanded to include Director
of National Outreach. Sandra Jacques, Esq.,
LL.M., who had been a LEGAL ONE Consultant
since 2011, became a LEGAL ONE Staff Attorney/
Supervisor of Legal Research and Content
Development in 2014.
In 2017, Ameena Terrell took over as LEGAL ONE’s
Administrative Coordinator and has since been
promoted to LEGAL ONE Program Coordinator/
Analyst.
In recent years, LEGAL ONE has developed
numerous courses, programs, and series to address
the most critical issues affecting school leaders,
educators, students, and communities. Here are just
a few examples:
In 2013, seeing the need for school staff to
understand and address the growing phenomenon
of student suicide, LEGAL ONE partnered with
the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
and Rutgers University to create Signs Matter, an
online course intended to assist school employees
in identifying the signs that a student may be
experiencing suicidal ideation, and/or other mental
health needs.
In 2015, LEGAL ONE launched its first multi-day
Certificate Program for Anti-Bullying Specialists and
Coordinators. Since then, more than a thousand
school-level professionals have completed this
program, which evolved in early 2020 to become a
self-paced online program.
In 2016, LEGAL ONE launched its monthly one-
hour webinar series, providing yet another way for
members to get the latest information on quickly
evolving legal issues.
In 2018, through the efforts of Michael Kaelber,
Esq., LEGAL ONE once again expanded its
offerings to include webinars for school attorneys.
In 2020, LEGAL ONE launched the fully self-paced
ABS Online Certificate Program, which allowed
participants to complete the equivalent of more
than three days of in-person training through a self-
paced format, while still providing opportunities for
interaction with LEGAL ONE attorneys.
In 2021, LEGAL ONE created The LEGAL ONE
Podcast as another means to reach our members.
LEGAL ONE also launched its Anti-Bullying
Professional Advanced Certificate of Mastery, which
builds on the ABS Certificate Program.