Rebecca Bryant is an attorney who represents public school clients in labor relations and other personnel matters, special education, and general school law, including student discipline. She specializes in assisting school officials in policy development and practical problem solving to accommodate each of these areas of law. She appears on behalf of public schools at the bargaining table, before arbitrators; before administrative agencies such as the Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Civil Service Commission, the Bureau of Special Education Appeals, and the Office of Civil Rights; and in federal and state court.
Ms. Bryant frequently presents seminars for local and national organizations on a variety of topics, including personnel management and labor relations, investigation of employee misconduct, the “just cause” standard, teacher evaluation, accommodations for disabled employees, sexual harassment, the roles and responsibilities of school committees under the Education Reform Act of 1993, student discipline, and the law of special education. Attorney Bryant has served as chair and presenter at the annual “School Law Conference” presented by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (“MCLE”) and is a contributing author to A Judicial Guide to Labor and Employment Law, published by the Flaschner Judicial Institute. She is the author of the chapter on “Student Safety and Discipline in Public Schools” in School Law in Massachusetts, published by MCLE.
Ms. Bryant received her law degree from Northeastern University and holds a B.A. in Education and an M.S. in Guidance and Counseling from Purdue University. She is a partner in the law firm of Stoneman, Chandler & Miller LLP. Prior to becoming an attorney, she served as a public school teacher and as an administrator for several programs that serve youth with special needs, including residential treatment and career development programs.