The difficult issue of how to balance the rights of students with special needs who pose a risk of harm to others with the rights of other students and staff to a safe environment is slated to be discussed by education lawyer Sheila MacKinnon at an upcoming Osgoode Professional Development program.

MacKinnon, partner with Shibley Righton LLP, is scheduled to discuss the topics as part of a panel at the 9th Annual Advanced Issues in Special Education Law program on Oct. 20.

The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Osgoode Professional Development Centre, 1 Dundas St. W. in Toronto.

MacKinnon is a participant on the panel Managing Injurious Behaviour, which is scheduled to cover topics including the OHSA, discipline under the Education Act, violent incident forms, refusing to admit a student and more.

She is also scheduled to take part in an interactive session where participants will work with a fact scenario highlighting legal issues raised by presenters throughout the day.

To learn more about the event, visit the website.