Legal Services

(District) will accept proposals for all services and/or services in one or more specific areas of expertise. For example, all services would include General Counsel, Legal Services, and Labor Counsel. Whereas, alternative proposals for one or a combination of two can also be submitted. Please be clear in defining the elements of the proposal. Also indicate the name of the attorney responsible for managing each area as well as the name of the attorney who will serve as the general point of contact and attend district Board of Education (Board) meetings (www.ips.k12.ny.us/boe_meeting_dates). A resume for each attorney must be attached. Please be certain that the name of your firm is identified on each page of your proposal. Each proposal should list all rates, fees and charges on a separate page(s), which may be separated from the rest of the proposal. At the sole discretion of the Board, select

law firms responding to this RFP may be interviewed by a committee selected by the Board of Education. It is anticipated that such interviews will take place in the Spring of 2024. The District reserves the right to award all services to one law firm or to award certain services or groups of services to different law firms based on the proposal or proposals that best meet the needs of the District. The decision will be based on all available information, and the firm(s) selected will not necessarily be the lowest bidder(s). The District also reserves the right to reject all of the proposals submitted in response to this RFP and/or to hire a law firm(s) not responding to this RFP. If there are any questions regarding this RFP, please contact Mr. Sal Carambia, School Business Administrator at 516-434-2600. II. OVERVIEW OF DISTRICT The District operates one elementary and one middle school (approximately 720 students in PreK-8). In addition, the district pays tuition for and has 343 students enrolled in one out-of- district public high school (Long Beach High School) with which it has a five-year contract. Nearly 100 students from the district attend private, independent, or parochial schools (K-12). Island Park School RFP- Legal Counsel Page | 5 Approximately 37 special needs students attend BOCES or other out-of-district schools. There are 124 “CSE” students and “504” students in the district (K-8). III. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SCOPE OF LEGAL SERVICES TO BE RENDERED A) The District is seeking legal services from law firms that will provide us with excellent and effective legal advice and representation, while remaining sensitive to the issue of cost. The provider will render legal services in the role of an independent contractor. The areas for which services are requested may be generally categorized as follows: • Authority and Operations of the Board and Administration • Special Education and Student Issues • Instruction • Finance, Management Services and Non-Instructional Operations • Human Resources and Labor Negotiations B) Attorneys in the law firm should be knowledgeable, experienced and up to date in all areas of law applicable to the District, including but not limited to: • Responsibilities/Authority of Board and District officials under New York State Education Law • Commissioner’s Regulations • Constitutional provisions applicable to the District and District officials • Civil rights • Employee rights • EEOC/SDHR and other discrimination matters • Student rights • Custody, guardianship, adoption, orders of protection, and Child Protective Services • Education of students with disabilities • Teacher teacher evaluation as related to tenure decisions, teacher tenure, teacher lay-offs, teacher recalls, and position terminations • Employee discipline and discharge • Public school employee unions and collective negotiations • Administration of collective negotiations agreements, including grievance process and arbitration • Current federal and New York State laws and regulations, as well as proposed or pending changes and court proceedings • NYSTRS/NYSERS • Civil Service laws and regulations • Federal and state laws/regulations pertaining to wages and benefits • Public Finance Law/General Municipal Law provisions governing financial management Island Park School RFP- Legal Counsel Page | 6 • Contract law • Non-instructional operations such as food service and maintenance • Non-instructional services rendered to component districts on a cooperative basis • Environmental Law • Appeals to the Commissioner of Education • Proceedings before the EEOC and SDHR • Proceedings before other state and federal administrative agencies (e.g., OCR, Wage and Hour Division, Unemployment Insurance Division) C) The law firm representing the District will be expected to provide the following services: • Advice and Counsel – Telephone and personal conferences with the Superintendent and Board as well as other designated persons as needed to render advice and counsel. • Special Opinions – Prepare legal opinions on particular questions at the request of the Superintendent and Board. • Communications/Update System – Provide periodic updates on new legislation and regulations, court decisions, decisions of the Commissioner of Education and decisions/opinions of other government agencies (e.g., Committee on Open Government, Attorney General, Office of the State Comptroller, OCR). • All Forms of Legal Proceedings – Represent the District in all court, ADR, and administrative proceedings. • In-Service Education – Prepare and present, as requested, programs for Board, administrators and/or staff on pertinent areas of law. • Policy Audit – Audit the policy handbook, administrative regulations and student/faculty personnel activities, and teacher/staff handbook(s). Provide policy drafting and regular policy update recommendations. • Other Services – Review Board agenda, advise District Clerk, and attend Board meetings (as noted above.) Respond to other legal responsibilities and obligations of the Board and administration, such as contract preparation and/or review, response to subpoenas, coordination with legal counsel appointed to defend insured losses. Perform such other services as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Education and/or the Superintendent. Island Park School RFP- Legal Counsel Page | 7 IV. ELEMENTS OF PROPOSALS • A. Contents of Proposal The proposal should include the following: 1. Title Page. Title Page showing the request for proposal subject; the proposer’s name; the name, address and telephone number of the contact person; and the date of the proposal. 2. Table of Contents 3. Transmittal Letter. A signed letter of transmittal briefly stating the proposer’s understanding of the work to be done; the commitment to perform the work within the time period; a statement why the firm believes itself to be best qualified to perform the engagement; and a statement that the proposal is a firm and irrevocable offer for services rendered. 4. Detailed Proposal. The detailed proposal should follow the order set forth in this Request for Proposals. a) The proposer should provide an affirmative statement that it is independent of the Island Park UFSD and its agents. b) The proposer should acknowledge that the services to be provided and set forth in its agreement with the Island Park UFSD will be that of an independent contractor. c) The proposer should also list and describe the proposer’s personal or professional relationships involving the Island Park UFSD or agents thereof for the past five (5) years, together with a statement explaining why such relationships do not constitute a conflict of interest relative to performing the