At the beginning of every school year, students in every grade or college course are given a student handbook. This handbook includes the rules and regulations the students are supposed to follow while attending school, as well as the expectations the school has for how the student will progress through their studies and the procedures they will take if a student fails to follow the rules and expectations. Students in elementary and secondary school generally must review the student handbook with their parents, and together, they must both sign the front page, acknowledging that they have reviewed the rules within.
If you or your child's school have accused you of violating the rules in the student handbook, or if you are having a hard time progressing through your courses on time, academic attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento can help. Call Lento Law Firm today.
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown Metropolitan Area
New York is home to several major metropolitans, including Albany, New York City, and Buffalo. The Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metro area is just north of New York City, with a population of almost 680,000 people. There are a number of communities located within this metro area, including:
- Beacon
- Middletown
- Newburgh
- Port Jervis
- Poughkeepsie
- Amenia
- Blooming Grove
- Chester
- Cornwall
- Deerpark
- Dover
- Fishkill
- Greenville
- Highlands
- Hyde Park
- LaGrange
- Monroe
- Mount Hope
- Palm Tree
- Pine Plains
- Pleasant Valley
- Red Hook
- Stanford
- Tuxedo
- Wallkill
- Warwick
- Wawayanda
- Rhinebeck
- Tivoli
- Kiryas Joel
- Highland Falls
- Woodbury
- Dover Plains
- Fairview
- Fort Montgomery
- Wassaic
- Verbank
- Thomspon Ridge
- Sugar Load
- Circleville
Generally, attorneys must focus their work on one town or within one state because of state bar laws. But academic attorney-advisor Lento is able to cross state lines, providing assistance to families and students all across America. As such, Attorney Lento has unmatched qualifications and truly understands the obstacles students must overcome when facing educational issues.
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown Metro Area Student Concerns
When children or young adults start school, whether it is elementary school or college, they are always facing new challenges. For the most part, school is an effective way to teach students both academics and social skills. For instance, when a kindergartener starts their first day, they are learning sight words to help them begin reading, but they are also being taught impulse control and how to get along with other students. College students may be learning advanced mathematics, but they are also learning how to be responsible for themselves after years of parental supervision.
With so much pressure to grow academically and socially, it's no wonder some students begin to act in ways they normally would not. Sadly, many schools fail to see this change in behavior as a request for assistance and instead label students as "lazy" or "incapable."
Even when students or parents request help, teachers and faculty can be reluctant to give it, instead suggesting the student just work harder. And when the student is unable to "work harder," they are punished for not behaving correctly or failing to progress on schedule.
When this happens, a student's self-esteem is altered and can worsen the student's behavior, getting them into further trouble. Hiring academic attorney-advisor Lento will ensure your child is not unnecessarily punished and instead provided with the tools they need to succeed.
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown Metro Area Schools
Academic attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento can help Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metro area undergraduate and graduate students at:
- Vassar College
- Dutchess Community College
- Marist College
- Mount Saint Mary College Desmond Campus
- SUNY Orange - Newburgh Campus
Additionally, Attorney Lento can also work with students who attend elementary and secondary public school in the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metro area districts, such as:
- Spackenkill Union Free School District
- Arlington Central School District
- Rhineback Central School District
- Red Hook Central School District
- Pawling Central School District
- Wappingers Central School District
- Cornwall Central School District
- Monroe-Woodbury Central School District
- Warwick Valley Central School District
Further, Attorney Lento can help private school students at such schools as:
- The Storm King School
- Northern Academy
- Chapel Field Christian Schools
- The Birch School
- Tuxedo Park School
- Trinity-Pawling School
- Poughkeepsie Day School
- Millbrook School
- Our Lady of Lourdes High School
- Hawk Meadow Montessori School
In addition to the traditional educational settings described above, academic attorney-advisor Lento can also help students in miscellaneous programs such as:
- The Culinary Institute of America
- New York Military Academy
- Maplebrook School
- Hudson Valley Career Training
- Raymond C. Cramer Secondary School
Disciplinary Defense in the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown Metropolitan Area
Students tend to get into trouble in school because they are learning how to be responsible for themselves, and that can be quite an overwhelming process. When they are home, their parents are responsible for them, telling them what to do and where to go, how to behave, and when to eat. But at school, that responsibility is split between themselves and their teachers. Teachers can tell them what to do in class and how to behave, but it's up to the student to decide how to behave. If they choose to misbehave, they will have harsher consequences than they might at home for the same behavior.
It is the same for college students who are living on their own for the first time. Suddenly, they are in charge of their own conduct, attitude, and success in school. If they are accused of violating the code of conduct at their school, they could face a disciplinary hearing and possible dismissal.
Luckily, all schools, whether they are elementary, secondary, undergraduate, or graduate, acknowledge that their students deserve the chance to present a defense on their behalf. These due process rights are essential to ensuring the school is properly punishing students who are actually responsible for the misconduct and preventing students from being falsely accused and unnecessarily punished.
To present their side of the story, students will be invited to a disciplinary hearing, where they will have a chance to present witnesses and evidence to support their defense. They will also have a chance to cross-examine the university's witnesses and evidence. At the end of the hearing, the disciplinary committee will usually meet separately and determine if the student is responsible for the accused misconduct and, if so, what punishment to impose on them.
For most schools, they make a point to impose a punishment that matches the severity of the misconduct. That is, students who play a prank on the teacher for the first time should receive something like detention; they should not be suspended or expelled unless the "prank" was seriously heinous. By hiring an academic attorney-advisor, you will ensure that not only is the school upholding your due process rights but that you are not being overly punished for harmless conduct.
Academic Progression Issues
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metro area schools, like most schools across the country, have specific guidelines they want their students to meet before they can progress to the next course, grade, or graduation ceremony. If a student is unable to meet these standards, they could be subject to a progression or dismissal hearing.
For instance, at Northern Academy, high school students must take a total of 24.5 credits to be eligible for graduation. They also have to participate in the weekly school cleaning and school assemblies and take the Ethics and Etiquette course each year. If a student fails to do any of these required tasks, they will not be able to graduate from the school and will be required to retake the entire year.
Academic Misconduct Issues
Many students find the responsibility of studying or asking for help when it's needed to be extremely overwhelming. As such, they turn to academic misconduct to try and pass the class anyways. Academic misconduct is an umbrella term that includes anything from cheating to plagiarizing to fabricating information – whether it is on an exam, paper, or other class assignments.
At Poughkeepsie High School, academic misconduct includes:
- Cheating: using materials to aid you when taking an exam or writing a paper without permission from the instructor.
- Plagiarism: willfully copying previously published or written material and pretending it is your own.
- Copying: copying someone else's work or allowing someone to copy your work without permission from the instructor.
- Altering records: fabricating information, whether personal data or information to be used on an assignment, exam or paper.
If a student is suspected of committing academic misconduct at Poughkeepsie High School, they will be punished. Punishments vary from school to school but tend to include suspension, whether in school or out of school, detention, written citations, probation, or expulsion.
Behavioral Misconduct Issues
Some students might not have academic issues; instead, they may have a hard time behaving appropriately while in school. Or their behavior might be misinterpreted as misconduct. In either case, academic attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento can help the student navigate the complexity of these issues by actively negotiating with the school on their behalf.
For example, at Vassar College, students are expected to follow the guidelines within their student handbook and avoid any of the following conduct:
- Discrimination.
- Harassment.
- Possession of fireworks, knives, ammunition, unauthorized dangerous chemicals, explosives, and firearms.
- Vandalizing personal property of another or college property.
- Stealing from another student, faculty, or staff.
- Stalking.
- Smoking on campus.
- Hazing.
- Verbal abuse.
- Burning anything.
- Falsely reporting fires.
- Endangering others on campus in any way.
- Selling, possessing, manufacturing, or dispensing drugs or other controlled substances, whether prescription or not.
If a student at Vassar is accused of behaving in one of the ways described above, the school administrators will launch an investigation. If during the investigation, they determine there is a basis for such an allegation, a separate party will convene a disciplinary hearing. As we explained above, disciplinary hearings give the accused student an opportunity to defend themselves from such accusations. Because of this, it is incredibly important to work with an academic attorney-advisor to make sure any potential negative consequences are mitigated efficiently.
Often, students choose to defend themselves against such allegations and then fail to prepare sufficiently. When this occurs, they find themselves being punished simply for lack of preparedness. By working with Attorney Lento, you will make sure that you are more than adequately prepared to defend yourself in such hearings.
Title IX Sexual Misconduct Issues
Title IX is a federal regulation that requires schools that receive federal funding to follow precise procedures when investigating accusations of gender-based discrimination. According to Title IX, gender-based discrimination includes stalking, domestic or intimate partner violence, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment. In some schools, they expand the definition to include acts of retaliation or revenge porn.
When a student is accused of violating Title IX, the school will fully investigate the accusation prior to meeting with the student formally. The Title IX process requires that an informal investigation is made to give the complainant an opportunity to recant their accusation. If they are still clear on what they witnessed, they can either submit a formal complaint to the school or request an informal approach.
Additionally, if the complainant decides to rescind their accusation altogether, but the investigator or Title IX Coordinator at the school believes there is enough evidence to prove that the student violated Title IX, they will submit the formal complaint themselves.
After the formal complaint is made, the school will schedule a formal hearing on the matter. Having an academic attorney-advisor on your side from the moment you are accused of a Title IX violation is the best way to protect yourself and ensure you receive the best possible outcome for your case.
How an Academic Attorney-Advisor Can Help
Facing challenges is a normal part of life, especially for students. Unfortunately, many schools fail to recognize behavioral issues or academic progression problems for what they are: cries for help. As such, they do not provide their students with the assistance they need and instead punish them. Sometimes these punishments can even include expulsion.
If you or your child has been accused of a misconduct issue or is having trouble keeping up with their work, Attorney Joseph D. Lento can help. Attorney Lento has spent years helping students around the country navigate these types of proceedings. He will work diligently to not only gather evidence and witnesses to testify on your behalf, but he will actively negotiate with your school to ensure the best possible outcome for your case. Call 888-535-3686 today or schedule a consultation online.
