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.
California Expands Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Special Education Supports
November 12, 2025 Number 51 On July 14, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 784, amending Education Code section 56031. Individualized education program (IEP) teams can now provide deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) services as stand-alone supports to students who do not require additional specialized instruction. This update empowers IEP teams to better tailor services to meet the unique DHH needs of students, promoting more inclusive and responsive individualized ...
New Law Enhances Continuity of Special Education for Transfer Students
November 6, 2025 Number 49 On October 7, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1412, enhancing educational continuity for students with disabilities who transfer into California schools from out-of-state, with a particular focus on students of military families. AB 1412 amends Education Code sections 48204.3 and 56325 to establish procedures to expedite records transfers, to require faster implementation of individualized education programs (IEPs), and to address ques...
From Backlash to Balance: AB 495 Redefines Caregiver Authority
November 4, 2025 Number 46 After months of heated legislative debate, California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 495 has emerged from the legislative gauntlet with a markedly revised final form. Signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 12, 2025, the bill expands the pool of eligible relatives who may execute a Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit and act as temporary caregivers for a child when a parent becomes unavailable due to deportation, incarceration, military deployment, o...
New Law Expands Students’ Rights at Graduation Ceremonies
October 2025Number 44Assembly Bill (AB) 1369 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 26, 2025. The bill strengthens and clarifies students’ existing right to wear traditional tribal regalia or recognized objects of religious or cultural significance during graduation ceremonies and related school events.BackgroundUnder existing law, students are permitted to wear traditional tribal regalia or recognized objects of religious or cultural significance as adornments during...
New Laws Targeting Antisemitism in Schools Aim to Redefine How Schools Respond to Discrimination
October 16, 2025 Number 43 On October 7, 2025, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 715 and Senate Bill (SB) 48, which together broaden antidiscrimination provisions in the Education Code to further address antisemitism, impose new obligations for local educational agencies (LEAs) to investigate and respond to allegations of discrimination, and create the California Office of Civil Rights to support and monitor LEAs in addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and bias.&...
California Expands School District Obligations to Protect Students, Families, and Employees from Immigration Enforcement
October 3, 2025 Number 41 In response to the rescission of federal agency policies limiting immigration enforcement on school grounds (see Lozano Smith’s 2025 Client News Brief Number 9), Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 49 and Senate Bill (SB) 98, both of which took effect immediately. These bills aim to expand protections for students, families, and employees of school districts by creating new obligations when and if immigration enforcement officers attempt to acces...
Trump Administration Sues CDE and CIF for Title IX Violations
July 28, 2025 Number 31 The United States Department of Education (Department) has determined that the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) by “allowing males in girls’ sports and intimate spaces,” and preventing equality of opportunities for girls in athletics. Background On February 5, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) titled &ld...
