Utah Middle and Elementary Education
Utah has a strong commitment to the education of the young. The state's elementary and middle schools in Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo, West Jordan, Orem, Sandy, Ogden, St. George, Layton, and other attractive cities and towns serve elementary and middle school students from all backgrounds. But as strong as those schools may be, conduct issues can arise that threaten your student's progress. Beware of school disciplinary charges.
The Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team is available across Utah to help defend elementary or middle school disciplinary charges. Keep your student out of reform school, boot camp, and other alternative education placements. Get the skilled and experienced help your student needs to defend and defeat Utah elementary and middle school misconduct charges. Call 888.535.3686 now to tell us about your student's case, or complete this contact form. Your student's future is worth defending.
Utah Middle and Elementary School Discipline Authority
Utah's legislature has empowered the state's elementary and middle school officials to discipline students. Utah Revised Statute Section 53G-8-202 requires school boards to publish and enforce discipline policies. Under Utah Revised Statute Section 53G-9-602, school officials must discourage and discipline bullying, including hazing and cyber-bullying. Under Utah Revised Statute Section 53G-8-204, school officials have the authority to suspend and expel your student for behavioral, academic, and other misconduct. Utah Revised Statute Section 53G-8-205 lists the many grounds on which school officials may exercise that authority. Treat disciplinary charges seriously. School officials may be trying to remove your student to an alternative placement that could cripple your student's education, reputation, relationships, development, and future.
Utah K-12 Student Attorney Defense Services
Students facing elementary or middle school disciplinary issues need skilled and experienced representation. You may already have found the school's communications to be confusing, accusatory, embarrassing, or threatening. You likely don't know the school's disciplinary procedures or what the school may be willing to do for your student instead of punishment and removal. The attorneys from our Student Defense Team are here to help. They have the knowledge, skills, and experience your student needs for the best outcome to disciplinary charges. We know your student's goal, to remain in the traditional classroom rather than face expulsion to home or an alternative disciplinary boot camp or reform school.
Our attorneys will first appear on your student's behalf. Our appearance lets school officials know that you are taking your student's matter seriously. Our appearance also authorizes school officials to communicate with us so that we can negotiate on your student's behalf for an early voluntary dismissal. If the school insists on proceeding, then we can help you evaluate the charges and evidence. Our attorneys can answer the charges with your student's best evidence and defenses. We can also invoke the school district's formal hearing procedures so that our attorneys can help you present your student's evidence while challenging the school's evidence. We can also take appeals and seek alternative special relief if your student has already suffered suspension and expulsion.
Utah K-12 Student Defense for Behavioral Misconduct
Utah Revised Statute Section 53G-8-205 includes “frequent or flagrant willful disobedience, defiance of proper authority, or disruptive behavior, including the use of foul, profane, vulgar, or abusive language” among the many behavioral grounds for your student's suspension or expulsion. The same section also prohibits drug or alcohol possession, vandalism or other property theft or damage, weapons possession, possession of pornographic material, and other threatening or disruptive behavior.
While these rules are all necessary and appropriate, they do not mean that schools should punish severely every alleged violation. Elementary and middle school students are of a young age, early in their mental, emotional, physical, and social development. Young students may not know the rules and expectations and may act out because of bullying, peer pressure and conflicts, medical and emotional issues, and other conditions, causes, and circumstances. Our attorneys may be able to help show school disciplinary officials these or other mitigating circumstances, while also challenging the truth of the allegations. Schools should educate more than punish. We may be able to show that your student deserves accommodations, resources, and support, not discipline.
Utah K-12 Student Defense for Academic Misconduct
Utah elementary and middle schools have only limited authority to discipline, primarily for behavioral misconduct, as just indicated above. Elementary and middle schools should not generally be suspending and expelling students for academic misconduct allegations like exam cheating, assignment cheating, plagiarism, and dishonesty over academic performance. If your student faces cheating or other academic dishonesty charges, let us help your student defend those charges. For example, if your student has a learning disability, the school owes your student a manifestation determination review before changing your student's educational placement. Your student may need accommodation rather than deserve punishment.
Utah K-12 Student Defense for Academic Progress Issues
Utah elementary and middle schools likewise have only limited authority to discipline over academic progress issues. That authority addresses truancy and excessive absences, supported by the state's compulsory education laws. School officials may discipline for prolonged and repeated absences without a valid excuse, not generally for low or failing grades. But school officials may attempt to remove your student over low or failing grades based on exaggerated or vague charges of insubordination, disruption, and disrespect. Don't let school officials avoid their responsibility to your student to provide instructional support services, including disability accommodations. Let our attorneys help your student defend academic progress disciplinary charges.
Premier Utah K-12 Student Defense Team
The Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team is available in Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo, West Jordan, Orem, Sandy, Ogden, St. George, Layton, and other Utah cities and towns to help your middle or elementary school student defend misconduct charges. Hundreds of students nationwide have trusted the Lento Law Firm Team to successfully defend and defeat school disciplinary charges. Call 888.535.3686 now to tell us about your student's case, or complete this contact form.
