Michelle H. Basi practices primarily in the areas of education, special education, litigation, and labor and employment law. Michelle regularly advises school districts and charter schools on student matters, including special education and Section 504 compliance, First Amendment rights, Title IX compliance and student discipline. Michelle also advises schools districts and charter schools on employment matters, including Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, and the Teacher Tenure Act. Michelle works with boards of education on a wide range of matters, including governance procedures, Sunshine Act compliance, and constitutional matters. Michelle has successfully represented school districts and charter schools in student and employment matters before State and Federal Courts and administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Missouri Commission on Human Rights, and the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. In addition, Michelle represents private schools with respect to personnel and student matters. Michelle is a member of the Council of School Attorneys and is a regular speaker at statewide and regional school law conferences.
Education
J.D., University of Denver College of Law, 2003
- Chancellor’s Scholar
- Order of St. Ives
- Public Interest Law Group Board Member
B.A., Saint Louis University, 2000
- Graduated summa cum laude
- University Honors Program
Professional Affiliations
- The Missouri Bar Association
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- National School Boards Association, Council of School Attorneys
- Missouri School Boards Association, Council of School Attorneys
- Illinois Association of School Boards, Council of School Attorneys
Selected Publications and Presentations
- “From Black Armbands to Red Ball Caps: Navigating Student Speech in Politically Charged Times,” National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys, School Law Practice Seminar, 2017
- Author, Missouri Bar CLE School Law Deskbook, Chapter 9, “Church and State,” Supplement
- “The First Amendment in the School District Context,” School Law – Part I: The Basics, Missouri Bar CLE
- “Schools as Places of Public Accommodation: The Expansion of the Missouri Human Rights Act,” Missouri Council of School Attorneys Annual Meeting
- “Section 504 Compliance for Administrators,” Missouri Association of School Administrators
- “Confidentiality: What Board Members Should Know,” Missouri School Boards Association
- Making Smart Personnel Decisions: Avoiding Board Member Liability,” Missouri School Boards Association
- “Social Networking and Public Schools,” Missouri School Public Relations Association
- “Teacher Non-Renewal and Termination: Importance of Evaluation & Remediation,” Missouri Council of School Administrators
- “Effective Supervision and Evaluation of Special Education Teachers,” Cooperating School Districts, St. Louis Regional Professional Development Center
- “FMLA Recordkeeping Procedures,” Cooperating School Districts
- “Demystification of Employee Mental Disabilities in the Workplace”
- “FMLA: Regulations, Policies and Procedures,” Lorman Education Services
- “Managing Legal Risks: Liabilities in the Private School Setting”
- “Title IX: Gender Equity in Athletics”
- “FERPA and Other Legal Issues for School Secretaries and Registrars”
- “Sexual Harassment and the Amy Hestir Act: What to Know, What to Do (and What Not to Do),” MoASBO Spring Conference
- “Facebook, Texting, Teachers, and Students”¦Oh My!,” Missouri Association of Rural Education
- “Advanced Student Threat law”
- “Residency and Enrollment – Where Does the Student Live? Who Makes the Educational Decisions?,” Missouri Association of School Administrators
- “Section 504 for the Business Office,” Missouri Association of School Business Officials
- “Student Discipline Under the IDEA and Section 504 – How to Respond Promptly, Creatively, and (btw) Legally”
- “Identifying and Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Top 10 Mistakes”
- “Transitions – The Big Two: Transition Plans and Graduation,” MO-CASE Special Education Administrators’ Conference
- “Identifying and Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Top 10 Mistakes”
- “Special Education Identification & Evaluation of English Language Learners: Too Much or Too Little?,” Cooperating School Districts, St. Louis Regional Professional Development Center
- “The Nuts & Bolts of 504 Compliance,” EducationPlus, St. Louis Regional Professional Development Center
- “Sexual Harassment: What You Need to Know”
- “Focus On Special Education: FAPE, IDEA Regulations, and the Difference Between Procedural & Substantive Violations,” Missouri Council of Administrators of Special Education and the Missouri Council of School Administrators
