Elise C. Keating

Professional Experience

Elise focuses her practice in the areas of education law and public and private sector labor and employment law. She has represented boards of education in a variety of legal matters, including special education and IDEA due process hearings, complaints before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, compliance with state and federal laws impacting the education sector, including Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the First Amendment, as well as labor and employment issues such as the Family Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, Elise has been directly involved in litigation concerning the Fouth Amendment, the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 1983.

Elise has advised and represented school boards on many different matters including drafting board policy related to student discipline, dress code, acceptable use of technology, food allergies, and pregnancy leave; interpreting and applying collective bargaining agreements; First Amendment student publication issues; copyright issues in the classroom; student and staff disability accommodations; and public records requests and Sunshine Laws.

Prior to attending law school, Elise had multiple years of experience educating and working with children with disabilities both as a behavior therapist and as a teacher's aide. She has extensive training in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), an intervention commonly used for children with autism and has trained other therapists in proper use of the technique. She provided ABA services to students ranging in age from three to sixteen in both public and private education systems. During this period, she also served as Latchkey Director for a public elementary school, running a before and after-school activity program for approximately 50 children.