• When requested, legal assistance in job-related matters, as described below, shall be provided to MASA members who were members of MASA at the time the activating incident(s) occurred. To be elegible for the basic legal services, the person requesting legal assistance must have been a regular member for a minimum of six months and a member at the conclusion of the case.
• Legal assistance is available for ethical or legal questions pertaining to breach of employment, annual or renewable contract rights, credential problems, dismissal, demotion, transfer, salary policy disputes, or suspension.
• Legal assistance to members shall be made available without regard for race, creed, color, sex, marital status, age, or handicap.
• Other administrator organizations, the member's employer, and/or the affected member may also be involved in the financial support of a case.
• In the case of financial settlement, MASA reserves the right ot recover part, or all, of the legal expense incurred on behalf of the member.
• Providing legal assistance does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the particular case or complaint of the individual by MASA.
• The member will be eligible to receive assistance only once for each legal proceeding. Legal proceedings that extend beyond the calendar year are considered part of the original proceeding and are not eligible for additional assistance.
• The member could file for a maximum of two payments per fiscal year and /or a maximum of three (3) payments over two years with no more than five (5) payments over a five (5) year period.
• MASA is not liable for any additional costs or problems related to the case.

How To Request Assistance

• Notify MASA in writing that you may need legal assistance and request the necessary form(s).
• MASA will send you a form which you must complete and return.
• Upon receipt of this form, MASA shall review all information in relation to the procedures and criteria and shall determine the eligibility or the ineligibility of the member for assistance and will so notify the member.
• Once an individual is determined eligible, a check will be issued upon verification of the attorney's invoice.
• Any falsification of an affidavit will result in that application beingconsidered null and void. If falsification or fraudulence is discovered after payment is made, MASA reserves the right to take whatever action is necessary to secure reimbursement.

General

Each year the MASA Board of Directors shall review the Legal Service Fund. Financial assistance to members is based on continuous years of membership and is contingent upon available monies in the Legal Service Fund. When an individual's membership lapses, the date of eligibility for legal service is based on the new entry date of membership.

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©MASA
Mississippi Association of School Administrators
Last Updated: January 21, 2010
Designed by: Rick Smith

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