As a student or the parent of a student, you never know when you will run into a challenging day. Students, especially in colleges and universities, have busy, full lives; they learn new things every day and often run into conflicts with their instructors or fellow students or have trouble keeping up with their coursework.
This is completely natural and expected. Being a student is one of the most challenging times in many people's lives – the only time they are expected to juggle studies, a full-time or part-time job, domestic responsibilities, and their social and professional lives, all at the same time.
On top of these issues, school authorities can often be extremely strict and can implement dozens of confusing rules for students to follow on campus. This means that getting involved in a disciplinary case or having another education-related issue is fairly common for most students.
At times like these, being able to consult an education lawyer or a student defense attorney advisor can help immeasurably – and ensure your student's academic record isn't marred by an unwarranted suspension or expulsion. National education lawyer Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm's student defense team are available for your student's defense and any other issues involving education law across the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan area.
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Area
Encompassing six counties, the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro area is spread over 312 square kilometers and has a population of 748, 031. It is the capital of Arkansas and also contains the most populous city in the state, Little Rock. The metro area has a rich and diverse cultural and economic background and serves as an important transport and economic area within the state.
This metro area also contains many top-notch educational institutions, including military academies, tech universities and colleges, medical and law schools, pre-primary and primary schools, and high schools.
With such a complex cultural landscape and a wealth of schools and colleges, there are many issues students in this area face, especially if they have moved away from home to attend college or university in and around Little Rock.
Student defense attorney advisor Lento knows the Little Rock metro area very well and has years of experience providing premier legal defense services to students in the area. His skill isn't just limited to disciplinary issues – he can help with any problem involving education law, academic or non-academic, that your student may be facing. Attorney Lento has over 20 years of experience successfully defending students and helping them defeat dismissals or unwarranted charges. Putting your student's future and welfare in his hands is the safest course of action in case of any legal issues.
Student Concerns in Little Rock Metro Area
Students in all parts of the country and elsewhere face many concerns and challenges on a daily basis. There is pressure to keep up grades, especially if they are part of a scholarship or are recipients of federal or private funding that relies on academic performance. There is an obligation to be social and make friends, and maintain good relationships with instructors. There is also the concern of having to potentially deal with bullying, ragging or hazing, or getting involved in conflicts with other students.
It isn't surprising, then, that many students find themselves involved in disciplinary cases or run into trouble academically. Students in the Little Rock metro area have these concerns too. There are also additional challenges that are unique to students in the area.
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro area is home to cultural institutions such as the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the Arkansas Repertory Theater, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and the Mosaic Templars Cultural Centre, and it has a rich cultural environment. This may be new to many students who may have come from a different state to attend university or may even have traveled across the country.
A new environment, culture, and set of people can cause problems or compound existing mental and physical issues. Additionally, students face challenges with having to find housing off-campus, juggle a job, maintain social relationships, and contend with commuting in the city.
All of this can cause issues – but any form of acting out or unexpected behavior can land students in hot water with school authorities, who are quick to punish perceived bad behavior. In situations like these, it is best to seek professional legal help and retain an attorney advisor who can help your student sail through disciplinary cases unscathed.
Little Rock Metro Area Schools
Attorney-Advisor Lento and the Lento Law Firm's student defense team are available to support your student through disciplinary issues or any other issues involving education law all across the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro area. This includes students studying in the following universities and colleges, to name a few:
- Hendrix College,
- Arkansas Baptist College,
- Philander Smith College,
- Shorter College,
- UA Little Rock,
- Strayer University,
- Central Baptist College,
- Baptist Health College Little Rock,
- Arkansas Independent College,
- Webster University,
- UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) College of Medicine,
- University of Arkansas System eVersity,
- UALR (University of Arkansas Little Rock) Business Building,
- Donaghey College of Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics,
- University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College,
- Franklin University,
- University of Central Arkansas,
- Eastern College of Health Vocations – Little Rock.
The Lento Law Firm's student defense team and Joseph Lento are also available to take on your student's defense in the following Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro area K-12 schools and academies, to name a few:
- Conway Christian School,
- St. Joseph School Endowment,
- Compass Academy,
- Church of Christ Study,
- St. Joseph School,
- The Lilliputian School,
- Academy of Hope Public School,
- Rossman School,
- Southbank International School,
- Robert Frost Public Charter School,
- Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach,
- New Life Christian Academy,
- Sallie Cone Preschool,
- Lisa Academy North Middle-High School,
- Premier High School – North Little Rock,
- Central Arkansas Christian Schools,
- Cedar High Christian Academy,
- Levy Christian Kindergarten,
- Abundant Life Christian Academy,
- Arkansas Independent Colleges and Academies,
- Calvary Academy High,
- Full Counsel Christian,
- Mount St. Mary Academy,
- Northside Christian Academy,
- Episcopal Collegiate School,
- Immaculate Conception School,
- School of Religious Studies,
- North Little Rock Catholic Academy,
- New Life Christian Academy,
- The Baptist Preparatory School,
- Southwest Christian Academy,
- Grace Christian Academy Little Rock
Education Law and Student Defense in Little Rock Metro Area
Students in schools, colleges, and universities can run into all sorts of disciplinary trouble, from academic misconduct, such as cheating or plagiarism, to behavioral or sexual misconduct. School authorities can choose to punish students found responsible for any misbehavior with an academic warning, a failing grade, suspension, or expulsion. Education Attorney Lento can help ensure your student does not receive unwarranted punishment and can help defeat or reduce the charges against your student.
Attorney Lento and the Lento Law Firm can represent your student in the following areas and any other education law issue.
Academic Progression Issues
Students are expected to meet certain academic performance standards set by their schools. Almost all schools, colleges, and universities have minimum academic performance requirements and will fail or hold back students who do not meet these requirements. This is especially true of educational institutions receiving federal funding, which have to prove to federal authorities that their students are maintaining SAP (satisfactory academic performance) standards. Similarly, secondary schools often have to adhere to state proficiency standards of academic performance.
The Academic Integrity regulations at the University of Arkansas – Little Rock is one such example.
But many students are wrongfully held back or given the wrong grade. This can occur due to errors in grading or calculating grades, bias against a student, mislabeled assignments or tests, or more. In other instances, a student may perform poorly owing to justified circumstances such as a family or health emergency and may be entitled to re-evaluation.
When parents and students are not aware of rules around these mitigating circumstances or the conditions around a test, the student may face avoidable consequences such as a failing grade or dismissal.
It is very important to consult with a student defense professional who knows the ins and outs of school policies and can help your student avoid negative consequences. Nationwide education Attorney Lento has helped hundreds of students navigate academic progression issues and achieve favorable outcomes.
Academic Misconduct Issues
Academic integrity and honesty are important to schools – and rightfully so. Most educational institutions take any threats to academic integrity, such as cheating or plagiarism, very seriously and come down hard on students found responsible for such practices.
Most colleges and universities have a set of regulations or policies known as the Code of Conduct or Student Honor Code that prohibit academic dishonesty, including practices such as plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration on an assignment, attempting to bribe an instructor, copying and cheating on exams, and more.
This is detailed in school conduct codes such as the Code of Student Academic Conduct at the University of Arkansas – Little Rock, or the Little Rock Christian Academy Academic Handbook.
Students using unfair means to pass exams or classes can be punished with expulsion or suspension. But schools don't always get it right – they may misidentify cheating students or wrongfully accuse a student of plagiarism based on a similar assignment or on faulty plagiarism-check software.
Students and their guardians don't always know what to do in such a situation – and grappling with the complex and confusing rules or policies of an educational institution can be daunting. If your student is accused of academic misconduct, you must consider retaining an experienced education lawyer right away. Attorney Lento has over 20 years of experience in student disciplinary defense and education law and has helped many students defeat unwarranted charges of plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct.
Behavioral Misconduct Issues
There are many behaviors that schools and colleges do not take kindly to and prohibit. This can range from disruptive and destructive behavior, such as bullying, fighting, vandalism, or classroom disruption; self-destructive behavior, such as drug use or drug dealing, to downright violent behavior, such as weapon use, sexual assault, or physical assault.
School guidelines and policies, such as the Little Rock School District Student Handbook, detail and prohibit such behaviors. Punishment for behavioral misconduct can range from suspension to expulsion or worse.
Again, the best course of action to take if your student is found involved in a disciplinary case is to consult with an experienced professional, an education lawyer who is well-versed with Little Rock metro area educational institutions and their policies and can guide your student toward a favorable outcome.
Attorney Lento and the Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm know exactly how to approach such cases and can ensure your student is not treated unfairly or given unwarranted and undue punishment.
Title IX Sexual Misconduct Issues
Sexual misconduct, like discrimination, harassment, or sexual assault, is one of the most serious charges a school, college, or university can levy against a student. Federal Title IX regulations dictate that schools receiving federal funding must regulate, prohibit and punish certain behaviors that are deemed as sexual misconduct.
Additionally, schools and colleges may also have their own list of prohibited behaviors, including sexual bullying or blackmail, solicitation of prostitution, circulating pornography, intimate partner violence or sexual violence, and more.
If your student is found responsible for any of these behaviors and charged with sexual misconduct, they could potentially face very serious consequences, not limited to expulsion.
But once again, school authorities can be mistaken. Your student may not be at fault, or there may be extenuating circumstances that explain their behavior. They may even be falsely accused by someone.
It is crucial to involve a student defense attorney advisor at the earliest. Your student's academic record and career could hang in the balance, and any delay or hesitation in acting could mean the end of a potentially successful career.
Consider reaching out to premier education lawyer Joseph Lento right away, so he can spearhead your student's defense strategy and work toward a favorable outcome.
Nationwide Education Attorney Advisor Value
If you or your student is in disciplinary trouble or has any other issues involving education law, do not hesitate to contact the Lento Law Firm. Mr. Lento has over 20 years of experience as a national education lawyer and has helped students across the country defeat charges of academic, behavioral, and sexual misconduct. When you retain education attorney advisor Joseph Lento and the Lento Law Firm's student defense team, you retain the best available school discipline defense representation. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.
