Joshua Whiteside is Senior Counsel in Lozano Smith's San Luis Obispo Office and co-chair of the Student Practice Group. Mr. Whiteside provides support for school district and county office clients on Student and Labor and Employment issues, focusing on helping administrators keep schools safe from school violence and bullying, remain neutral with respect to politics and religion, and prioritize inclusivity and equity.
Experience
Mr. Whiteside has presented on a variety of topics at the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Personnel Academy, and before the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance (CASCWA), California Latino School Boards Association (CLSBA) and the Small School Districts' Association (SSDA). Mr. Whiteside is also a frequent presenter on the Lozano Smith podcast.
Mr. Whiteside's article on student social media speech was the cover story for the SSDA Today in Spring/Summer 2018. Mr. Whiteside also wrote a paper on "Religious Speech in Public Schools" for the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys, providing guidance nationally on the intersection of free speech, religion, and LGBTQ+ student rights.
Prior to joining Lozano Smith, Mr. Whiteside was a legal aid attorney, where he counseled and represented low-income and homeless clients in civil disputes involving landlord-tenant, consumer debt, domestic violence, immigration, public benefits, special education, and workplace discrimination matters. During law school, he interned for a prominent immigration firm in Orange County, assisting with family and employment-based immigration applications and visas.
Education
Mr. Whiteside earned his J.D. degree from Chapman University School of Law. He received a B.A. in History from the University of California, San Diego.
Host Sloan Simmons joins Lozano Smith attorneys Ruth Mendyk and Joshua Whiteside to discuss updates to district policies and practices during the 2020-21 school year, pending legislation on student retention and grading issues for 2021-22 and proposed curriculum and kindergarten / preschool related issues for future years.
In advance of his upcoming free seminar at California State University Fresno, attorney Michael Smith, joined by associate Josh Whiteside, talks with host Devon Lincoln about the role that religion plays in the lives of public school students and their teachers and other staff, and how schools can create a climate of inclusivity and support for students of every background and faith tradition. For more details on the upcoming seminar, see the show notes below.
Preventing school violence and ensuring school safety have become dominant topics and part of an ongoing national conversation. But what can a school district do, practically, to address these issues? This podcast will examine two recently released resource documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Secret Service which provide guidance on preventing school violence as well as pending California legislation to improve school climate and safety.
Last year, the United States Supreme Court identified social media as "perhaps the most powerful mechanism available" today to make a person's voice heard. But can a government official block their constituents' voices online? At what point does a personal social media page become open to the public? Join us as we discuss the ramifications of a recent federal district court case out of New York about President Trump's personal Twitter account and the potential legal precedent being shaped now
Inclusivity is a mandate for all public entities - to create a positive, welcoming environment for all types of people and treat them fairly and equally. The government must also be neutral with respect to politics and religion. However, the rise of social justice movements in recent years have led public entities to carefully re-consider their policies, practices, and programs. Thus, public entities walk the narrow path of affirming the rights of all without expressing support for a particular political viewpoint or ignoring systemic and procedural biases. This podcast will discuss how local governments and school districts can act to work on providing an inclusive workplace and/or campus without limiting individual opinions and viewpoints.
Last year, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 179, known as the "Gender Recognition Act," which adds a "nonbinary" gender option to state driver's licenses, identification cards, and birth certificates.
