Like any parent, you likely have lofty hopes and dreams for your student and their future career. You want them to do well at school and excel in their chosen career. But many things can stand in the way of your student having a successful career. Facing disciplinary action at school is one of those things that can seriously derail your student's academics and have long-lasting implications. Not only does it impact their ability to earn their high school diploma and pursue higher education, it can hamper their confidence, sense of identity, and self-worth and lead them down a path of underperformance and bad conduct.
The consequences of disciplinary action – which can include alternate placement, suspension, expulsion, or having to repeat a class – can impact your student's view of themselves and can make them feel as though they have been lumped in with miscreants and troublemakers. Your student may not even be in the wrong, or they have made a small judgment in error – but the consequences of disciplinary action can be severe and have far-reaching impacts.
You don't want something like that to hurt your child's future. Knowledge of the Arlington student code and of your options in case your student faces disciplinary action is critical to protecting their future.
Avoiding Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement (DAEP)
There are many forms of punishment that can be handed out for misbehavior at Arlington high schools. This can include an extra assignment, a warning, detention, other restrictions, in-school suspension, out of school suspension, or expulsion.
Arlington high schools can also choose to place a student in Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement. DAEP takes a student out of their school and places them in an alternative educational institution. Although the solution is meant to help students continue their education, it is often used as an out-of-sight, out-of-mind solution by school authorities and can be bad for your student.
Students assigned a DAEP placement might feel excluded and left out and may not have access to the same quality of educational resources and the social network they had at their old school. Being singled out for DAEP may make a student feel like a failure and more likely to act in line with the school's assessment of them as a troublemaker.
Additionally, DAEP schools often have substandard instructional quality and curriculum and poor student culture. Ideally, you want to avoid having your student transferred to a DAEP school if you can avoid it. Schools often punish misbehavior unfairly and harshly, and a small mistake by your student can land them in alternative placement.
Consulting and working with premier student defense attorney advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team can help keep your student out of DAEP and protect their interests. Joseph Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team have many years of experience defending students in disciplinary cases involving DAEP, suspension, expulsion, and more. Do not let a small mistake or an unjust punishment stand in the way of your student's success. Contact the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or online.
Student Codes of Conduct for Student Discipline in Arlington
Schools in Arlington do not punish students arbitrarily. They are governed by the Arlington Public Schools Policy J-7.4 Student Code of Conduct. The student code of conduct lists prohibited behaviors and the consequences students may face for indulging in such behavior. It also includes details on the procedure that is followed in disciplinary proceedings.
Arlington schools use 'proactive, positive strategies and interventions' to promote student learning and help all kinds of students thrive, according to the code. This means that schools in Arlington try to address errant behavior in a number of ways and resort to harsh punishment as a last resort. Restorative justice practices and positive interventions are the first lines of action in such cases.
Some important points of note from the code are:
- If administrative action is deemed necessary in a case of student discipline, their parents or guardians are notified immediately via electronic modes or phone, followed by a written notice in English. They then have 10 days from the date of suspension or other administrative action to make an appeal.
- Any punishment worse than detention may only be imposed by a school administrator (a principal, assistant principal, or principal's designee) or the Superintendent/designee.
- Student behavior issues will be addressed individually, and no student will be subject to group punishment.
- Administrative responses to student misconduct may include in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension (including short-term suspension and long-term suspension), and expulsion.
- Prohibited behaviors include assault of a student or teacher, vandalism, computer misuse, possession of weapons, cyberbullying, possession or use of a prohibited drug or alcohol, theft, etc.
- Behaviors that may lead to expulsion include possession of firearms, destructive devices, drug distribution, or severe bodily injury.
In-School Suspension
This refers to the removal of a student from regularly scheduled classes for a specified period of time lasting for up to 1 full day. Students are allowed to complete classwork during this period.
Out of School Suspensions
Out-of-school suspensions can be short-term or long-term.
Short Term Suspension
This includes temporary removal from all school activities and exclusion from school grounds for a period lasting no more than ten days.
Long Term Suspension
This includes the temporary removal of a student from all school activities and exclusion from school grounds for a period from 11 to 45 days. A long-term suspension can also last longer than 45 days, depending on the severity of the offense.
What is DAEP in Arlington, Texas?
Under the Texas Safe Schools Act, there are two types of alternative education programs that students can be placed in if they have indulged in misconduct or disrupted classroom proceedings severely with their behavior. These are:
- DAEP: Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement is for students who have violated the Student Code of Conduct or committed a felony offense.
- JJAEP: Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Placement is for students who have committed more severe offenses and been expelled from school.
DAEP is meant to be an alternative to suspension or expulsion for students with behavioral issues, so their education can continue uninterrupted. It is not meant to be a long-term or indefinite punishment; the idea is for students to ultimately return to their regular classrooms after a period of alternate placement. DAEPs can be assigned for 30 to 40 days, and this can be extended if the student does not seem ready to return to their regular school yet. They cannot be assigned for a period of more than one year.
High Schools in Arlington
Schools in Arlington all follow the Student Code of Conduct and may send students to DAEP placements as a response to misconduct or disruption. Some of these schools include:
- Arlington College and Career High School
- Arlington Collegiate High School
- Bowie High School
- Lamar High School
- Martin High School
- Sam Houston High School
- Seguin High School
- Turning Point Secondary School
- Yorktown High School
- Washington-Liberty High School
- Wakefield High School
Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team are available to defend your student against DAEP placements or other disciplinary action across all schools in the Arlington school district.
DAEP Requirements
Every DAEP schools in Arlington provide must meet some requirements:
- It must take place in a setting other than the student's regular classroom
- DAEPs need to separate students in alternative placement students from students not assigned alternative placement
- It must focus on English language arts, mathematics, science, history, and self-discipline
- It must fully address students' educational and behavioral needs
- DAEPs must provide supervision and counseling
- DAEPs can only employ certified teachers
- DAEP programs must also provide behavior management training for teachers, as well as training in safety procedures and training planning for a student's transition to their regular campus
You can get more detailed information on DAEPs in Arlington and the rest of Texas here.
Downsides of DAEP
Although DAEPs are meant to be more positive alternatives to suspension and expulsion and are in place so students can continue their education, they do have significant downsides as a form of punishment. DAEP schools often have substandard curriculums and instructors and may have a bad environment which might make it difficult for your student to thrive.
Some of the downsides of DAEPs include:
- Substandard Quality of Education Although the Texas Education Code requires DAEP schools to employ certified teachers and train them, the educational standards at DAEP schools are often poor and substandard. After a long or even brief period of study at an alternative placement school, many students struggle to keep up with their studies at their regular school and fall behind.
- Attendance Issues DAEP schools don't always provide adequate forms of transportation to their students, and this might lead to poor attendance, which further contributes to students falling behind in their studies.
- Repeat DAEP Placements According to past figures, students who attend a DAEP school are more likely to be sent to a DAEP placement in the future. The substandard quality of education, attendance issues, and poor social environment at DAEP schools are probably contributing factors.
- Unconducive Learning Environment Since DAEP schools only have students who have been sent there for disciplinary reasons, they tend to have a higher percentage of miscreant students who might indulge in further misbehavior and make it difficult for your student to maintain good conduct. A student sent to DAEP may also find themselves more likely to commit misconduct again owing to this environment.
What to Do if Your Child Is Facing Disciplinary Action or a DAEP
Getting involved in a disciplinary case can be one of the worst things to happen to your student. It can impact their educational and emotional development and can hurt their academic career for years to come.
The more involved and proactive you are, the quicker you can deal with such a situation. Quick and early action can help limit the damage to your student's record and ensure they are not punished harshly or unfairly.
Here's what you should do if your child is facing disciplinary action at their Arlington high school.
- Get in touch with school authorities and get as much information as you can about the issue and about your student's conduct. Find out what charges they are facing.
- Consult with a student defense attorney advisor in Arlington. Share complete information on your student's case with them so they can start putting together a defense strategy.
- Ask your child about the issue at hand, and ask them to write down everything they remember. If there are reasons that explain or justify their misconduct, find out what they are. Also, find out who else may be involved.
- Take photographs of your child's injuries, if any, and collect any evidence you can.
- Make a note of every communication from or with the school. Note down dates, length of phone calls, etc.
- Read the school's code of conduct thoroughly to stay informed.
How a Student Defense Attorney Advisor Can Help Your Student Avoid a DAEP
An attorney advisor experienced in student defense can strengthen your student's case in ways that you might overlook. Being familiar with the Texas Student Code of Conduct and other district-specific laws in Arlington allows an attorney advisor to develop a targeted approach that can help your student attain a favorable outcome. They can help your student formulate appropriate answers to the questions they will be asked at a disciplinary hearing and ensure school administrators are following the correct procedure.
An attorney advisor's involvement can be invaluable to your case, even if they aren't allowed to be present at the disciplinary hearings.
Experienced DAEP Defense Attorney Advisor Available
Premier student defense attorney advisor Joseph D. Lento has successfully defended many students in Arlington, and other parts of the US, in cases involving suspension, expulsion, DAEPs, and other disciplinary action. He and the Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm can help defend your student against an unfair DAEP placement or help you put together a strong appeal. His experience and years of experience can help protect your student's future. Attorney advisor Lento has nationwide experience in student defense issues and is a better bet for your student than a local attorney advisor or someone advertising on a billboard because they are not likely to have experience in student defense. The Lento Law Firm Team has a high degree of familiarity with Arlington student codes of conduct and can help put together a winning defense for your student and help minimize the punishment they are facing.
Call the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
