Kathy Perrico helps school districts solve complex student, employment, and compliance challenges with practical guidance, proactive planning, effective litigation strategies, and a steady focus on what works best for schools.

Kathy Perrico is a partner in Bricker Graydon Wyatt’s Education Practice Group focusing on special education law, general school law, and school litigation. She advises boards of education on a wide range of legal matters involving students, employees, and district operations, with particular depth in special education compliance and student services. Her work includes counseling on IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, student discipline, residency and custody issues, student records and confidentiality, public records requests, and compliance with Ohio’s Sunshine Laws.

Kathy takes a proactive approach to helping school districts address legal challenges, offering preventive training, compliance reviews of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Evaluation Team Reports (ETRs), and guidance on broader systemic and programmatic concerns. She regularly represents school boards in mediation and administrative proceedings and has handled matters before the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, the U.S. Department of Education, and in state and federal courts.

In addition to her education-focused practice, Kathy has significant litigation experience representing school districts in student- and employment-related disputes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC), and state and federal courts.

Education

The University of Akron School of Law, JD (2003)

Kent State University, BS (1998)

Distinctions

Listed, The Best Lawyers in America® – Education Law (2021–2026); Administrative/Regulatory Law (2025–2026)

Cleveland Lawyer of the Year, The Best Lawyers in America® – Education Law (2024)

Professional Activities

Chair, Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys (2026)

Member, Ohio School Boards Association (2003–Present)

Member, Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys (2003–2025)

Member, Ohio State Bar Association (2003)

Additional Items

• Speaker, Legal Issues for Superintendents, Buckeye Association of School Administrators (2025)
• Speaker, New Dyslexia Requirements (2022)
• Speaker, Section 504 and OCR Enforcement (2022)
• Speaker, Aid Services/LRE (2022)
• Speaker, Discipline Procedures and Legal Ramifications (2022)
• Speaker, IDEA and Section 504 Suspicion of Disability and Evaluations (2022)
• Speaker, ETR Training (2022)
• Speaker, Title IX Training (2021)
• Speaker, Navigating the Boundaries of Staff/Student Relationships in the Age of Social Media (2021)
• Speaker, Professional Development (2021)
• Speaker, 504 Training (2020)
• Speaker, Special Education Legal Update (2020)
• Speaker, School Counselor and Social Worker Professional Development (2020)
• Speaker, Beyond the Basics: Section 504 & Drafting Legally Defensible PR-01s (2020)
• Speaker, Top 10 Special Education Challenges in Light of COVID-19 (2020)
• Speaker, Writing Better PLOPs, Goals & Objectives, & Progress Reporting (2020)

When not working or stealing time from the busy lives of her children, Kathy enjoys reading, crafts, and her morning workouts, which are her key to starting the day in a positive mood.  Kathy also enjoys the antics of the two pets who own her (it is most certainly not the other way around), and her clients know that one or both are likely to make appearances in virtual meetings.