Back to School Workshop 2025
The Legislative Update

With Paula Maddox Roalson and David Holmes

Paula Maddox Roalson and David Holmes will hit the Texas highways in September, bringing you the annual school law updates you need to get the new school year started off right.

Don’t want to travel?  No problem: There’s a virtual option, too!

Paula Maddox Roalson and David Holmes of Walsh Gallegos Kyle Robinson and Roalson will be at SIX great locations to cover your essential Back to School content: hot topics, recent court cases, and fresh guidance on the current legal issues that you need to be aware of to do your job well this coming school year.

Register your full leadership team: administrators, counselors, special education staff, school board members, and central office team. This workshop is for everyone!

Who This Workshop Is For

  • school principals & other campus-level personnel
  • superintendents
  • school board members
  • school attorneys
  • district administrators

Topics Overview

  • The Adventure Before Us: A review of the 89th Legislative Session
  • The Adventure Continues: Analysis of new laws, new responsibilities, and new legal issues relating to school safety, student discipline, and parent rights – plus a primer on special education discipline.
  • A Special Education Adventure: A legal update for school administrators on special education and Section 504
  • Recording the Adventure: Documentation makes a difference! Includes a closer look at where we are with Title IX.

Dates & Locations

Amarillo – Thursday, September 18th, 2025

Region 16 ESC

Pre-registration for Amarillo has closed. You will still be able to register on site the day of the workshop. Please do not use the online registration form. PO or payment can be accepted in person.


Richardson – Wednesday, September 24th, 2025

Region 10 ESC

Pre-registration for Richardson has closed. You will still be able to register on site the day of the workshop. Please do not use the online registration form. PO or payment can be accepted in person.


Hurst – Thursday , September 25th, 2025

Hurst Conference Center

Pre-registration for Hurst has closed. You will still be able to register on site the day of the workshop. Please do not use the online registration form. PO or payment can be accepted in person.


Kilgore – Wednesday, October 1st, 2025

Region 7 ESC

Pre-registration for Kilgore has closed. You will still be able to register on site the day of the workshop. Please do not use the online registration form. PO or payment can be accepted in person.


Klein – Wednesday, October 8th, 2025

Klein Multipurpose Center

Pre-registration for Klein has closed. You will still be able to register on site the day of the workshop. Please do not use the online registration form. PO or payment can be accepted in person.


San Antonio – Monday, October 13th, 2025

Norris Conference Center

Pre-registration for San Antonio has closed. You will still be able to register on site the day of the workshop. Please do not use the online registration form. PO or payment can be accepted in person.


Or watch online from October 8th, 2025 – December 31st, 2025

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Accreditation

Attorneys

  •  The conference sponsors have applied to the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit in the amount of 5 hours (no ethics hours).

Administrators

  • ADMINISTRATORS: This program may meet local criteria for 5 hours of school administrators’ general management training by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) as providers of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit.

Testimonials

“I could listen to law updates all the livelong day. What I especially appreciate is how nuanced the explanations are and how relevant the examples feel.” 

Shelly Holmes, Assistant Principal in Allen ISD

“I look forward to this training every year. I think they do a great job of keeping us updated on the latest legislative changes and court guidance.” 

Ryan Coleman, Assistant Superintendent in Van Alstyne ISD

“It was a great day of learning. The content was relevant and pertinent; the presenters were knowledgeable and engaging. I appreciate the annual opportunity to have such important information presented by the best in the field.”

Christy Hirsh, Director of Student & Administrative Services in Highland Park ISD

Register for the Workshop Today

This Year’s Speakers

PAULA MADDOX ROALSON

Walsh Gallegos Kyle Robinson and Roalson

Paula Maddox Roalson has represented the legal interests of Texas public school districts for more than 30 years. For many years she led the Walsh Gallegos San Antonio special education practice group. In 2011, she moved to Houston to open the firm’s Houston office.

Paula’s current practice focuses on special education litigation and related matters. Before joining Walsh Gallegos in 1996, Paula served as the Staff Attorney for Special Education for the Texas Association of School Boards.

Paula is a member of numerous professional organizations and is a frequently requested speaker at national, state, and local conferences. She has written and presented many articles concerning education law for various school organizations.

She is a proud product of Texas public schools and a family of educators and public servants. Her father served as a school board member for 17 years. Her mother is a former Superintendent of Schools in the San Antonio area. Her sister is a District level administrator in San Antonio.


David Holmes

Walsh Gallegos Kyle Robinson and Roalson

The son of a public school teacher and a public defender for juveniles, David Holmes has long held a passion for public service and education. David focuses his legal practice on the representation of school districts across a host of general school law matters, including student and employment issues, election law, and litigation in both state and federal courts.

David earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was named a Dean’s Fellow, was a staff editor for the Texas International Law Journal, and served as a student attorney in the Civil Rights Clinic.

Prior to joining Walsh Gallegos, David interned for the Travis County District Court and worked in multiple Austin law firms practicing civil litigation.

FAQs

Will my registration be tax-exempt?

Yes, our conference registrations are automatically charged as tax-exempt.

Can I register online with PO (Purchase Order)?

When registering for an ED311 event you can either pay with a credit card, or choose to be invoiced and pay later. If you choose the invoice option, there is a PO field where you can enter your PO#, if you have it. After registering, please email a copy of your purchase order form to PO@ed311.com. Please note that your registration is not considered complete until we receive either your purchase order form or payment (via check, credit card, or ACH).​

Are there multiple registration prices?

We now offer group registration discounts on some events! We also offer a discount if you would like to access your conference materials digitally instead of getting a printed conference workbook. We no longer offer early payment discounts. If you have a very large group of attendees or a group of students that you’d like to send to one of our events, please contact ambrose@ed311.com

Do I need to pay in advance for my registration? 

We must receive either a valid purchase order form or payment before the date of your event. Simply filling out the registration form does not complete your registration. Your registration is only considered complete once we have received either an approved purchase order form or payment by check, credit card, or ACH. You can email your purchase order to PO@ed311.com. Registrants of our online virtual events will not receive digital access until we have received your PO or payment. Registrants of an in-person event will not be able to attend the event without a PO or payment.

Can I substitute another person in my place for a conference I am registered for?

Yes. Submit your request via our Substitution Form. Please note that we must receive your substitution request at least 3 business days before the date of the event for your attendee to be included on our list of attendees at the event registration table. If you need to make a last minute substitution, that is not a problem. Just make sure your sub checks in using the original registrant’s name and tell our staff at the registration table that they are a substitute.

 How can I get your W-9?

You can download our W-9 here.

Who can I ask if I have any additional questions?

If you have any further questions, please email Danielle King at dking@ed311.com.

Event Cancellation & Substitution Policy

Cancellations:  In general, we do not issue cancellation refunds. If you can no longer attend an in-person event and would like to cancel, your options are to either (1) send a substitute to the event or (2) switch to the online version of the event. If the event you are attending does not have an online component, then we will issue a refund less a $30 cancellation fee, as long as we receive your cancellation request within 2 weeks in advance of your event.

If you have not yet paid for your event and no longer wish to attend, you can cancel your registration by contacting chpowers@ed311.com.

If you have an extenuating circumstance please email dking@ed311.com.

Substitutions: Substitutions may be made through this form in advance of any of our events.

Register for the Workshop Today

Thank you to our sponsors!

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