SCHOOL LAW

Mr. Gossels became an expert in the laws governing education and aid to education while he was representing the towns of Boxborough, Franklin, Needham and Wayland.

While serving the school committees of those towns and the Board of Trustees of a well-known private school, Mr. Gossels advised the superintendents of school, the principals and staff as to their statutory authority and responsibilities, including their authority to discharge teachers. This sometimes led to litigation, but Mr. Gossels successfully defended his client towns in every such dispute. Needleman v. Bohlen, 386 F. Supp. 741 (1974), 457 F. Supp. 942 (1978) and 602 F. 2d 1 (1st Cir. 1979) and Goreham v. Jewett, 392 F. Supp. 22 (1975), 527 F. 2d 642 (1st Cir. MA 1975) are examples of such cases.

Since that time, Mr. Gossels has successfully represented parents and students, who have been unfairly disciplined or discriminated against by universities, colleges, private schools and public secondary schools. Mr. Gossels' expertise in these matters was recognized when he appeared on Miller' s Court to discuss school law concerning search of student lockers.

Mr. Gossels recently represented six towns situated on Cape Cod who believed that the formulas for distribution of state aid among the cities and towns of Massachusetts mandated by the Education Reform Act was unconstitutional.