Siobhan M. Schneider
Email:
Tel/Direct:
515-246-0303
Tel/Main:
515-243-7611
Address:
100 Court Avenue, Suite 600
Des Moines, IA 50309
Assistant:
Anne Stokely
515-246-4401
astokely@ahlerslaw.com
Practice Groups
Court Admissions
All Iowa Courts
Education
J.D., Drake University Law School, 2007
B.A., Tulane University, 2004
Bar Admissions
Iowa, 2008
Background
Siobhan joined the Ahlers firm in 2025 as part of the Education Law Practice Area, bringing seven years of experience in Legal Services and board governance at the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). She works with K-12 schools, AEAs, and community colleges.
Siobhan focuses her practice on policy development and customization, compliance with federal and state regulations, client education and training, board governance, and counseling on student and employee matters. Siobhan knew early on she was destined to be an attorney. Passionate about making complex legal concepts understandable, Siobhan thrives on helping clients understand and navigate the law so they can effectively serve their institutions, leaders, and students.
In her prior work at IASB, Siobhan first served as Policy/Legal Services Director and then as Associate Executive Director, Board Leadership & Legal Services. She worked closely with school boards and administrators across the state, as well as with AEAs and community colleges. In her role at IASB, she provided legal support for government relations, facilitated strategic planning for districts, worked with districts on board governance and policy development, and served as a resource for legal information. She also facilitated workshops on a wide range of topics with schools of all sizes.
Earlier in her career, Siobhan worked in private practice, gaining experience on the claimant side of the law. She earned her J.D. from Drake University Law School and her B.A. in History and English from Tulane University.
Representative Projects
As an employee at the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB):
- Rewrote an Iowa school district’s student conduct policy to reflect a more holistic view of what constitutes good student conduct. Facilitated workshops with community members, staff, and students to ensure the final policy—developed through both a legal and policy lens—addressed the needs of a district experiencing shifting demographics.
- Developed timely school law resources early in the COVID-19 pandemic, in collaboration with School Administrators of Iowa and the Iowa State Education Agency. During this rapidly changing environment, the group developed just-in-time resources providing a unified message to school districts, board members, and employees to operate and lead in challenging times.
- Provided legal support to further the public policy agenda for the organization. Drafted proposed amendments to bills and provided testimony during legislative subcommittee meetings.
- Co-facilitated onboarding of new school board members, preparing them for diverse responsibilities, including managing multi-million-dollar budgets. Designed and facilitated board workshops and learning sessions for these board members who all bring varied skill sets to their newly elected position.
- Developed Iowa’s first interactive online learning platform on open meetings and open records.
Memberships
American Bar Association
Iowa State Bar Association
Polk County Bar Association
Council of School Attorneys
Iowa Council of School Board Attorneys
National School Attorneys Association
Recognitions
Drake University Law School, Law Scholarship
Drake University Law School, C. Edwin Moore Moot Court Competition, Semi Finalist
Tulane University, Founders Scholarship
Speaking/Presentations
Iowa Association of School Boards, Annual Convention, "Understanding the Board's Role in Personnel & HR Issues," with Danielle Haindfield, November 2025
Iowa Association of School Business Officials, Fall Conference, "Board Policy Best Practices," with Danielle Haindfield, September 2025
The following were speaking engagements when employed by the Iowa Association of School Boards:
- Open Meetings and Public Records Updates, January 2024
- New School Business Official Webinar, October 2024
- Panel: District Insights on Implementing Cell Phone Policies, November 2024
- Legal Updates for School PR, October 2022
- Education Records and Library Materials, October 2022
- Every Student Succeeds with Equity: HF 802, November 2021
- UAP for New SBOs, October 2021
- Ins and Outs of Open Meetings, September 2020
- Policy & Employee Handbook Changes due to Public Emergencies, July 2020
- Policy & Legal Introduction for New Board Members, November 2019
- Board Secretary Jeopardy!, November 2019
- The Promises and Pitfalls of the Superintendent Evaluation, October 2018
ICSBA, Implementing Legislative Changes, October 2023
COSSBA, Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for Board Members, April 2023
IASBO, Orientation for School Business Officials, October 2018
Published Articles & Books
The following were resources developed when employed by the Iowa Association of School Boards:
- First Amendment Rights in Education: The Establishment Clause
- Parliamentary Procedure Basics – How boards can utilize this system of meeting organization
- Unclogging the Information Pipeline – How school board members can communicate electronically
- AEA Redistricting – How AEA boards can reorganize following HF2612
- School Board Members & Social Media – Social media best practices for board members
- FAQ: Redistricting Following the Census
- Conducting Closed Sessions for Evaluations – Updated legal information following Tieg v. Loeffler
Professional, Community and Civic Leadership
Iowa Supreme Court, Commission on Continuing Legal Education, 2022 - present, Chair 2025
Iowa Bar Examination grader, 2015 – present
Iowa Workers’ Compensation, Advisory Committee Symposium, Co-Chair, 2016-2017
Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Attorneys, Seminar Committee, Co-Chair, 2015-2016
Drake University Law School, Hurricane Katrina Relief Project, Volunteer, Student Researcher and Editor for Professor Suzanne Levitt, 2005
Tulane University, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, Inc., Vice President of Membership, 2002-2004