You want your teenager to succeed in life, make the right choices, and become whatever they aspire to be. Whether that includes attending college or learning a trade, you must see that they do well in high school and have a positive secondary education experience.
Unfortunately, obstacles can get in the way of your teen earning their high school diploma. Sometimes they make bad choices or end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes school officials label students guilty by association, lumping them in with the ringleader and doling out harsh and unjust penalties for relatively innocent conduct. In an instant, a misunderstanding or miscommunication between a school official and your teen could threaten his future plans.
If your child is facing disciplinary alternative placement education (DAEP) within the Corpus Christi high school system, you need an experienced attorney-advisor to guide you through the disciplinary process to help you obtain the best possible outcome in your teenager's case.
Avoid Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement
If a school official accuses your teen of misbehaving in a Corpus Christi high school, your child could face various disciplinary measures, from having to complete extra schoolwork, being suspended from after-school activities, or getting expelled from school altogether. Penalties should fit the misconduct, but that's not always the case. One option most school districts often fall back on for students they accuse of misconduct is to send them to a disciplinary alternative education program, or DAEP. For many Corpus Christi schools, alternative school is an out-of-sight, out-of-mind solution. But it can be detrimental to your teenager's future.
At issue is that, while DAEPs in Corpus Christi intend to help kids who have misbehaved, the program can end up not just an unjustly harsh punishment but a branding of your teen as a hopeless miscreant. Alternative high school can have an adverse effect on your teenager, leading them to take on an unhealthy, failure-marked identity. The truth is that DAEP schools can have problems, including substandard curriculum, instruction, support, and bad student culture.
If your child is facing a Corpus Christi school disciplinary, the risk of DAEP is real and significant and one you should take seriously. Ensure your teen has the best chance at completing high school with their classmates at their regular high school by hiring an attorney experienced in student disciplinary defense.
Adviser Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm have defended high school and college students in Texas and across the United States. Don't let an unjust diversion mark your teenager for failure. Contact The Lento Law Firm online or by calling 888.535.3686 today.
The Corpus Christi High School System
Tucked into a bay in the Texas Gulf Coast, Corpus Christi is known for its Bayfront Seawall and the Laguna Madre hypersaline lagoon. The county seat of Nueces County, the city also expands into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties.
Seven school districts with a combined 16 high schools serve the 31,000 students within Nueces County, including:
- Corpus Christi Independent School District (ISD)
- Calallen ISD
- Flour Bluff ISD
- London ISD
- Port Aransas ISD
- Tuloso-Midway ISD
- West Oso ISD
The section of Corpus Christi in Kleberg County is within the Riviera Independent School District, and the portion in San Patricio County is in the Ingleside Independent School District. The city also has four private charter or faith-based schools, including John Paul II High School and Incarnate Word Academy.
Veterans Memorial High School is the largest public high school in the Corpus Christi ISD, serving more than 2,000 students. Flour Bluff High School is the second-largest in the area, serving as the only high school in the Flour Bluff ISD.
Student Codes of Conduct for School Discipline in Texas
Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code governs school discipline in Corpus Christi high schools, which requires each district, under Section 37.0001, to create its own student codes of conduct specifying the conditions and circumstances under which the school may remove and discipline students.Each high school is required to send a copy of its student code of conduct to the parents or guardians of each student each year, and parents must sign the code of conduct and confirm they have read it and discussed it with their child.
The code of conduct is a valuable tool. It's your first line of defense when your teenager faces unjust school discipline. Your attorney-advisor will review the school's code of conduct to ensure the school is not imposing discipline beyond its reach. The code of conduct should spell out what behavior is prohibited and the consequences for committing these acts. Schools may differ on some issues, but some common behaviors prohibited at Corpus Christi high schools include the following:
- Student assault
- Teacher assault
- Weapons at school
- Bullying
- Cyberbullying
- Drug and alcohol use
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Computer misuse
The code of conduct should also list consequences for students who commit prohibited behaviors. Your student defense attorney-advisor will review your school's code of conduct to ensure the school doesn't impose consequences against your teen beyond its reach. These consequences usually include the following:
- Classroom Consequences: Students may face consequences such as loss of privileges or extra work if their behavior is not appropriate in the classroom.
- Behavior Contract: The school establishes regular communication between the student, their parents or guardians, and a school administrator to discuss behavior and set expectations via a behavior contract.
- Detention: Students may be required to remain after school or attend school before regular hours to complete work.
- In-School Suspension (ISS): Students are temporarily removed from their regular classrooms and placed in an ISS classroom to complete assignments for one or more days.
- Exclusion: Students who misbehave may be excluded from their current class and reassigned to another teacher.
- Community Service: Students may be required to complete service work for either the school or community.
- Out-of-School Suspension (OSS): Schools may bar students from attending school for up to three days.
- Alternative Education Placement: Administrators may temporarily assign students to an alternative education setting, typically lasting 30-40 days.
- Tickets and Fines: Students may receive tickets for class C misdemeanors that carry a fine. Failure to pay or respond to the ticket may result in an arrest warrant when the student turns 17.
- Expulsion: Schools may prohibit students from attending their normal school for a specified period. Some school districts require expelled students to attend a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP).
Emergency Removals in Corpus Christi Schools
Schools in Corpus Christi can do an emergency removal of a student from school in certain circumstances. Schools are also permitted to order emergency DAEP placement, but only if the child's behavior is so "unruly, disruptive, or abusive that it seriously interferes with a teacher's ability to communicate in class, with students' ability to learn, or in the operation of the school or school-sponsored event." Emergency expulsions are permitted only if the principal "believes it is necessary to protect persons or property from imminent harm."
What Is DAEP in Corpus Christi?
Texas adopted the Safe Schools Act in 1995, which mandated that all public school districts provide disciplinary alternative education programs to provide an educational setting for students temporarily removed from regular instruction due to disciplinary reasons. Each school district decides the design and content of its DAEP programs.
School administrators send students to DAEP to provide a temporary alternative to suspension or expulsion. The program is not meant to house students in DAEP indefinitely. The goal is for students to return to their regularly assigned classrooms and schools after completing DAEP. Schools generally assign students to DAEP for 30-40 days; however, schools can extend the time if the student is not showing signs that they are ready to return to their regular schools. Initial placement cannot extend longer than one year.
DAEP Requirements
The following are the requirements that must be met by each school district when providing DAEP:
- The program must occur in a location other than the student's regular classroom.
- Students assigned to DAEP must be separated from those who are not.
- The curriculum must focus on English language arts, mathematics, science, history, and self-discipline.
- The program must address students' educational and behavioral needs.
- The program must offer supervision and counseling.
- The program must employ certified teachers.
Schools can provide DAEP on or off campus, and districts can collaborate to provide the same program. The program must also include teacher training on behavior management and safety procedures, and a plan must be in place to transition students back to their regular campus.
Limits on Sending a Student to a DAEP in Corpus Christi
High schools in Corpus Christi must have fair processes in place for disciplining students. Before school administrators can place a student with DAEP, they must hold a conference with the student's parents or guardians, the teacher who removed the student from their classroom (if there is one), the student, and any other appropriate administrators. At this conference, students have the right to know the reasons for removal and will have the opportunity to respond. Your student defense attorney can evaluate the discipline charges and advise you on how to best respond.
After the conference, a behavior coordinator or another administrator decides whether to send the student to DAEP. That decision, though, isn't left entirely to the official's discretion. Under Section 37.001(a)(4) of the Texas Education Code, the decision-maker must consider the following factors before placing a student in a DAEP:
- Whether the student acted in self-defense
- Intent or lack of intent at the time the student engaged in the conduct
- The student's disciplinary history
- Whether the student has a disability that substantially impairs the student's capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of the conduct
- Whether the student is in a protective services conservatorship
- Whether the student is homeless
These limitations on the decision maker's discretion can be critical to your child's successful defense. If your child faces a school disciplinary proceeding in Corpus Christi that could lead to DAEP, attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the team at the Lento Law Firm can help. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.
Appeal to the Rescue
Don't give up if you hear your teenager is facing disciplinary action and placement in DAEP by his Corpus Christi high school. Now is the time to fight for your teen's future. Many school districts allow students to appeal the decision of the school's behavior coordinator to the board of trustees. An appeal gives you a second opportunity to retain an experienced student defense attorney-advisor, like Joseph D. Lento, and the student defense team at the Lento Law Firm. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.
If you don't have the option to file an appeal and the behavior coordinator's decision is final, you can still fight for your teen's rights. There is a good chance your school or district will have other routes for review. An experienced attorney-advisor understands how to access those procedures and take your matter before the school board through its general counsel, ombudsman, or similar administrative structure to get the same relief as an appeal. In some circumstances, litigation may also be an appropriate option.
How a Student Defense Attorney Can Help Your Child Avoid DAEP Placement
If your child faces exclusionary punishment such as DAEP, having an attorney-advisor by your side can be beneficial. They can guide you on how to effectively advocate for your child's case and advise them on how to behave during the conference with the behavior coordinator. Even if an attorney cannot physically attend the meeting, they can still be a valuable resource as you navigate this complex situation.
An attorney-advisor experienced in student discipline law can help you understand Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code, which outlines your student's rights and how to protect them. They can also review the code of conduct for your teen's school district to ensure proper disciplinary procedures are followed. It's important to prevent school officials from abusing their discretionary authority and imposing harsh punishment like DAEP for a minor offense that could be resolved on campus.
Experienced DAEP Defense Attorney Available
Attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm have helped high school students across Texas and the U.S. avoid DAEP. You can trust the Lento Law Firm to support you and your teenager through this difficult situation with your school administrators and school board. We don't believe a mistake or misunderstanding should tarnish a student's future. Contact the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team today at 888.535.3686 or go online. Help is just a phone call away.
