Federal Public School Law Guidebook

Thomas Burns is a legal researcher who supported NSBA's legal advocacy and Council of School Attorneys programs for over 25 years. In addition to researching and drafting NSBA’s well-known Legal Clips school law blog, Tom has published numerous articles on legal issues pertinent to public elementary and secondary schools, such as First Amendment student speech, religion in schools and search and seizure.

He completed an intensive paralegal studies program at Georgetown University in 1995.

Tammy Carter is the Senior Director for Legal Services and Governance at the National School Boards Association ("NSBA"). In her role as a Senior Director, she is responsible for handling the legal matters of the organization, as well as working with staff and the Board on NSBA Governance issues.

Prior to joining NSBA, she was General Counsel for Oklahoma City Public Schools where she served as the district's inhouse counsel for more than twenty years. As counsel for the school district, she was responsible for providing counsel and advice to the Board and Administration on a wide-range of matters including open meeting and records laws, school finance, employee rights and discipline, student rights and discipline, and collective bargaining issues; representing the board and administration in employment and contract litigation in federal and state courts; developing and interpreting district policies; and conducting investigations into alleged employee harassment and other employee misconduct.

Ms. Carter received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from California State University at Long Beach and she received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law. She is a member of the Ohio, Oklahoma, Washington, D.C and Virginia bar associations.

Jordan Cooper is a Senior Staff Attorney at the National School Boards Association. Jordan was formally an Associate Attorney at a Washington, D.C. law firm, where she practiced in the employment, government contracting, criminal defense, and public policy areas. During that time, she was also a member of the firm’s trial litigation team.

Jordan has experience in local government and governmental organizations through her previous work at the National Academy of Public Administration, assisting the General Counsel. She is a proud product of the K-12 public schools and universities, having graduated from The Florida State University. Jordan received her law degree from The George Washington University Law School, where she interned with the Innocence Project and was active in moot court and constitutional law competitions.

Francisco M. Negrón, Jr. is the founder of K12 Counsel and the former Chief Legal Officer of the National School Boards Association. A proud product of our public schools, Negrón is a leading national advocate for public schools. From 2005 until 2023, Francisco headed NSBA’s nationally-recognized Legal Advocacy Program and led the Council of School Attorneys, the national network of lawyers representing K-12 public schools. He received his Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law and also holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of West Florida. He is also a member of the Bars of the United States Supreme Court, the District of Columbia, Florida, and all federal circuit courts of appeals.

Mr. Negrón regularly appears in national media outlets as a spokesperson for public schools.

Sonja Trainor is the Managing Director, School Law and Legal Programming at the National School Boards Association. She came to NSBA in 2010 as a Senior Staff Attorney, becoming Director of the Council of School Attorneys in 2012, and. In Managing Director, Legal Advocacy in 2018. She currently oversees NSBA's school law advocacy programs, including amicus briefs in cases of significance for public schools and public comments to federal agencies, as well as NSBA/COSA school law seminars, webinars, and committee. Sonja regularly speaks at state and national level meetings on legal issues affecting public schools.

Before coming to NSBA, Sonja practiced school law in Illinois. She graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in 1993 and from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1996, where she served as a research assistant in the College of Education. All three of her now adult children graduated from Maryland public schools.

Derek Black is a professor of law and director of the Constitutional Law Center at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He is one of the nation’s foremost experts in education law and policy. He has published over thirty articles in leading journals like Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, and N.Y.U. Law Review, as well as four books. Based on that research, he offers testimony in school funding, voucher, and federal policy litigation and his research is routinely cited in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Derek is a regular commentator and contributor in outlets like USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, among others.