Office of District Counsel

Contact Information

662 South President Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
Phone: 601.960.8916
Fax: 601.960.8545

JoAnne Nelson Shepherd, District Counsel
KaShonda Day, Assistant District Counsel
Glenisa M. Jiles, Paralegal
Jessica Avery, Executive Assistant

District Counsel Profile

The Office of District Counsel, sometimes referred to as the Legal Department, is comprised of two attorneys and a support staff consisting of one paralegal and one legal secretary.

The district counsel’s office represents the administration, handles a variety of legal matters for the Jackson Public School District, and strives to practice preventive law. The attorneys represent the school district in legal matters. Its board attorney, Dorian Turner, also represents the school board. The District Counsel attends all school board meetings and when the School Board sits as a decision-maker, the District Counsel represents the administration in employee discipline matters, student expulsions, and suspensions.

It is the mission of the district counsel’s office to provide the highest quality legal services to the Jackson Public School District by providing sound legal advice and effective representation. The provision of quality services contributes to the district’s goals of student achievement, safe schools, attraction and retention of high quality teachers, and other endeavors.

The attorneys are available to answer calls from principals and administrators who seek advice on various issues. Principals should contact the district counsel’s office when any staff member is in receipt of a subpoena or is contacted by an investigator, attorney, or paralegal that is not employed by the school district. Principals should also contact the district counsel’s office with legal questions including custody issues such as to whom to release a student, student records, student discipline, harassment, child abuse, employee discipline, school board policies, and contracts for programs, goods and services.