Chris Pape and Woody Sanderson speak to Leadership Huntsville about education issues

On April 7, 2015, Chris Pape and Woody Sanderson spoke to the Masters Class 6 of Huntsville Leadership about hot topics in education. The presentation addressed the new charter schools law recently passed by the Alabama legislature, the proposed consent order in the Huntsville desegregation case, and the interaction of these two events.

Along with J. R. Brooks, Mr. Pape was the Lanier Ford attorney who represented the Huntsville City Schools in the current litigation of Hereford v. Huntsville City Schools, a desegregation case that began in 1963. As part of his representation, Mr. Pape analyzed the effect of the new charter schools law on the proposed consent decree. Mr. Sanderson represents many other school systems in the state. From 2009 to 2013, he served as president of the Schools Foundation.

Download a copy of the presentation.

Special note: Since this presentation, a final decree has been issued by the U.S. District Court.

Lanier Ford represents numerous school boards throughout Alabama in a variety of issues ranging from Sixteenth Section lands to discipline of students under the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The firm regularly represents school boards in disciplinary hearings and appeals involving terminations of school staff and principals. In the original 1963 case of Hereford v. Huntsville City Schools, attorneys of the predecessor law firm of Ford, Caldwell, Ford & Payne represented the Huntsville City Schools. In 1988, the Lanier firm and the Ford firm merged to become the largest law firm in northern Alabama.