Lozano Smith's Student Practice Group is recognized statewide for its steadfast, proactive and creative assistance to school districts and expertise on a broad range of student issues, due to the large number of school districts that we represent and the fact that we have represented schools for more than 35 years.
Areas of Practice
To best serve the needs and promote the success of its clients, the firm's Student Practice Group has broad expertise in:
Title IX
Lozano Smith’s Title IX Practice Area is comprised of specialists dedicated to the pressing issues faced clients. From athletics to sexual violence, this team advises, trains, and educates clients on the various components of Title IX – from prevention and mitigation to investigations resulting in disciplinary action. Areas in which the group provides advice and training include:
- Athletics, including audits of athletic programs
- Sex-based discrimination
- Pregnant and parenting students
- Single-sex education
- Issues relating to transgender and students
- Developing and auditing complaint grievance procedures and policies
- Responding to reports of sexual misconduct and harassment
- Investigating complaints of sexual misconduct and harassment
- Title IX Coordinator roles and responsibilities
- District and employee liability
- Reporting obligations
- Interaction with law enforcement agencies
- Discipline of students
- Litigation
- VAWA/Clery Act
- Trainings
Real World Applications
The Student Practice Group at Lozano Smith understands the hurdles and opportunities facing its clients, and has an unsurpassed level of experience and
expertise to protect the interests and promote the success of school districts, their staff and students. Of particular significance is the firm's
leadership in student discipline matters. Lozano Smith regularly helps districts to develop comprehensive policies and regulations aimed at preventing
student discipline problems, as well as all other policy issues impacting student rights, including student speech, student clubs, student transfers, and
student fees, to name only a few. When discipline problems do surface, the firm provides practical advice and assistance as to all aspects of suspensions,
expulsions, involuntary transfers and alternative forms of discipline.
Supreme Court Reinstitutes Permanent Injunction Enforcing Parental Rights to Not be Excluded from Knowledge or Involvement in Student Gender Identity Issues at School
March 6, 2026Number 9As reported in 2025 Client News Brief Number 61, this past December, in what is now referred to as Mirabelli v. Bonta, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, granted summary judgment in a class action and issued a permanent injunction barring various actions related to student gender identity at school, which the court found infringed upon the free exercise and substantive due process rights of California parents of public school students, and the free ...
California Department of Education Issues Updated Guidance on Gender Identity and Student Records; Attorney General Initiates Related Litigation
March 4, 2026Number 8On February 11, 2026, the California Department of Education (CDE) issued a letter entitled “Further Update Regarding FERPA” to all school district and county office of education superintendents. The guidance expands on the previously issued guidance relative to implementation of Assembly Bill (AB) 1955, entitled “Protections for LGBTQ+ Students: AB 1955,” which has been in effect since 2024. CDE’s most recent letter reminds schoo...
SB 848: California Legislature Imposes Additional Administrative Requirements on K-12 Schools Intended to Enhance Student Safety
January 21, 2026 Number 4 Senate Bill (SB) 848, signed into law on October 7, 2025, and effective January 1, 2026, is a sweeping piece of legislation intended to enhance student safety by: (1) extending Assembly Bill (AB) 2534’s school employee misconduct disclosure requirements; (2) requiring written policies clarifying professional boundaries; (3) strengthening comprehensive school safety plans; (4) expanding the group of individuals who are mandated reporters; (5) revising child abu...
California Federal District Court Enjoins Enforcement of “Parental Exclusion Policies”
IMPORTANT NOTE: On January 5, 2026, the Ninth Circuit issued an order granting the State’s motion for an emergency stay of the judgment and permanent injunction in Mirabelli v. Olson while it is pending on appeal before the appellate court. As a consequence, the permanent injunction issued on a class-wide basis in Mirabelli and discussed below is presently not in effect.***December 30, 2025 Number 61 On December 22, 2025, in Mirabelli v. Olson, the United States District C...
California Makes Slight Adjustments to Laws Regarding Truancy, Expulsion, and School Holidays
December 11, 2025 Number 58 Assembly Bills (AB) 461, 1230, and 268 were recently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. These bills affect policies regarding truancy, rehabilitation plans for expelled students, and school holidays. AB 461 – Truancy Under existing law, children between the ages of six and 18 are subject to compulsory full-time education, unless otherwise exempted. Prior to this bill, a parent or legal guardian could be charged with a misdemeanor i...
New Laws Addressing Technology in Schools
November 21, 2025 Number 53 Two recent bills grapple with modern technology’s pervasive presence and growing impact on local educational agencies (LEAs), both on school grounds and beyond. Assembly Bill (AB) 962 and AB 772 each address a common point of concern for LEAs: smartphones and cyberbullying, respectively. Assembly Bill 962: Smartphones In 2024, California enacted AB 3216, requiring LEAs to develop and adopt a policy, by no later than July 1, 2026, that limits ...
New Health and Safety Legislation Affecting Schools, Colleges, and Youth Sports
November 21, 2025 Number 54 California passed four bills aimed at strengthening policies for the health, safety, and wellbeing of its young people. The new laws involve changes to existing health and safety legislation pertaining to young athletes, the use of epinephrine auto-injectors in California schools, access to LGBTQ+ resources, and homeless youth access to care. AB 310 Assembly Bill (AB) 310 amends Health and Safety Code section 124238.5 to strengthen California’s Nevae...
