Off-Campus Misconduct Accusations in Ohio

Wondering how far school discipline can reach in Ohio?

Figuring out how to navigate the landscape of school discipline is a frustrating yet common enough experience for many Ohio students and parents, but the issues only escalate when schools start to provide punitive measures for things that don't quite seem to be within a K-12 school's purview.

Students all across the state, including those living and studying in major cities like Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati to those located in smaller locales from Dayton to Toledo, are noticing their schools starting to scrutinize and sanction student conduct outside of school premises. Whether students are involved in a skirmish that starts at a weekend party or are exhibiting inappropriate online behavior during their after-school hours, chances are, their schools are going to notice what's happening and recommend remediations in a timely manner.

What's happening here? What are the repercussions? And what can Ohio parents do to protect their children? If your student is associated with a derogatory social media post or destruction of non-school property, you as the parent may feel that your school is stepping out of bounds by recommending suspension. And, worse, if your student does have to undergo discipline, that could seriously impact their academic future in ways you may not be expecting.

Fortunately, you don't have to figure out how to protect your student and work with your school district on your own. The Lento Law Firm and its Student Defense Team are here to help families from Akron to Allentown and beyond reach a successful outcome after frustrating off-campus misconduct allegations. Retain the premier services of our team today by calling 888.535.3686 or filling out this form to tell us more about your case.

The Reality of Off-Campus Misconduct in Ohio's Schools

Today's world is a lot more interconnected than many of us think — and one way we're seeing that is with a significant blurring of the line between off-campus misconduct and on-campus repercussions.

In Ohio schools, we often see the following types of misconduct that could trigger a school response:

• Things that really aren't related to school misconduct: It might seem odd, but incidents that don't seem related to school life at all can still prompt a school response. A good example of this may include when students are caught participating in vandalism at local parks or if a student causes public disturbances at a city event. Even though these actions aren't academic in nature, they might be seen as reflecting poorly on the student and, therefore, their schools.
• Things that are slightly related to school misconduct: As people spend more time online, increasingly, what people (including students!) do online is up for more intense scrutiny. And, of course, if your student posts online, your school can find what they posted. So can their peers. So, for example, if your student posts a derogatory comment on a public social media platform, that could ostensibly result in disruptions to their school environment—and, again, just reflect poorly on their school.
• Things that are actually very related to school conduct policies, whether they happen on campus or off it. If your student is allegedly involved in violence aimed at a fellow student or another member of your academic community, your school will not hesitate to step in, even if the concerning actions happened after school or outside school borders. As an example, let's say a student in the Youngstown City School District sends threatening emails to teachers or is caught cyberbullying classmates over social media. Your school will very likely respond with immediate sanctions in this case.

Of course, this prompts a follow-up question:

If your school is sanctioning off-campus misconduct, what types of sanctions will your school recommend for your student?

Here's How Your Ohio K-12 School Might Respond to Off-Campus Misconduct

The approach your school takes to discipline and misconduct could vary widely. A school in the Cincinnati Public Schools district could try and go with restorative justice before moving to more severe disciplinary recommendations. A school in the Westerville City Schools area could skip ahead to suspension with little notice to you. Understanding how your school's policies work is a good first step. (Your school's code of conduct should be freely available on your school's website.)

However, you should know that your school's code of conduct is a dense, detail-heavy document that won't necessarily go out of its way to keep things clear and accessible for you. The Lento Law Firm Team can help you understand your school's policies to help you support your child moving forward.

For now, let's talk about common off-campus misconduct punishments. Many schools modulate their responses based on the alleged misconduct severity.

• Often, schools will start with a more educative approach to misconduct disconnected from academia. For example, if a student is involved in auto theft or shares something inflammatory but not explicitly violent or discriminatory online, your school may recommend counseling or something similar.
• If the alleged infraction is tangentially related to school policies, this could result in a more ramped-up punishment recommendation, such as detention or suspension.
• And, if your student is involved in threats, cyberbullying, or something similarly severe that impacts the safety of another member of your school's community, your school could resort to a suspension or an expulsion immediately.

What does this mean for you and your student?

First of all, even though it can be tempting to ignore school discipline or write it off as something your student will just have to get through short-term, don't.

School discipline has far-reaching consequences. If your child is associated with a suspension or an expulsion, people who look at your student's records in the future (for example, college admissions officers) will be able to tell. This can have an unexpected and outsized impact on your child's ability to pursue their academic plans both now and later.

School discipline also has immediate consequences. It can have a big impact on your child's social life, and it could even set your child behind in their studies. You shouldn't have to accept that. Instead, you and your student, along with the Lento Law Firm Team, can take strategic action now to protect your student from unfair outcomes.

Here's How You Can Get Started with Your School's Disciplinary Proceedings in Ohio

Trying to find ways to support your student and start to work toward a more favorable resolution at the same time? We're here to help. Here are some things you can do to kick off your process as strategically as possible.

1. First, before you do anything else, call the Lento Law Firm Team. It's essential to have experienced attorneys on your side as soon as possible; but more than that, you need attorneys who have specific knowledge of and experience in the school disciplinary system. School discipline is an entirely different type of thing than legal regulations, even if they may seem like similar processes from the outside. You need your legal team to have demonstrated experience in helping students avoid harsh consequences after off-campus misconduct. That's what the Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm brings to the table.
2. Talk to your student. First, make sure they're okay. This is a stressful time for them, and they're likely scared about what they could be facing at school and about your reaction. Make it clear that, regardless of what repercussions may be coming, you're a safe person to talk to. Then, ask about what happened. Get your student's side of the story, and document it if you can. Also, ask your student if there is anything happening at school or after it that you should know about. If there are any contributing factors to your student's alleged actions, that's good information to have.
3. Learn everything you can about your school's regulations. Earlier, we talked about downloading your school's code of conduct. Now, scroll through the document, see if you can find your school's list of prohibited actions, and see if the code contains any language pertaining to off-campus misconduct. If your school has sent you an email or traditional mail about your child's disciplinary journey, save those emails and then cross-reference them against your school's code of conduct to see if you can learn more about what your school might be thinking. The Lento Law Firm Team will be able to assist with all of this (and more!), but if it helps you get a handle on what's happening, this action might be worth tackling.

What Does a Typical Ohio Disciplinary Process Look Like?

Your school's specific set of disciplinary procedures may be unique. (You'll find your school's procedures in the code of conduct you've been scrolling through.)

It may help to know what a typical timeline of events might look like. The “typical” schedule may look a little different for you since an off-campus misconduct event was involved, but, in general, there's a good chance that you can expect some version of the following to happen:

1. There will be an accusation. Someone will notice that your student was involved with something potentially inflammatory off-campus and report it to the administration.
2. The administration will take some time to review the initial information presented and determine whether it wants to learn more about what happened or not.
3. If the administration wants to know more, it will launch an investigation into what your child may or may not have done off-campus. If you aren't already aware of what could be happening, this is likely when you'll receive a notification directly from your school. If this is when you're finding out, now is an excellent time to retain the services of the Lento Law Firm Team. We can help you manage the investigation as strategically as possible and help you find evidence to support your side of the story.
4. Once the administration has found enough information to proceed, it may schedule a hearing unless there is a reason to skip it (e.g. if the administration wants to move quickly because it believes the safety of the academic community is in question).
5. If you do get invited to a hearing, know that it represents your chance to tell your side of the story. Our attorneys at the Lento Law Firm can help you prepare and even provide representation, if applicable.
6. At the end of the hearing, your school will issue a decision about your student's responsibility for the alleged actions, as well as a recommended sanction.
7. If you do not agree with your school about its decision or the recommended sanction, you may be able to file an appeal. Doing so may be enough to prompt your school to reconsider its decision or recommend a lesser sanction.

If it is not, you still have options. Our team can open direct lines of communication with your school's office of general counsel to negotiate, which may also yield good results. And if you need to escalate your case, our team can help you determine your next steps.

Rely on the Lento Law Firm Team for the Support You Need

If your child is facing discipline at their K-12 school for something that happened off campus, they're going to be confused. You will be, too.

The Lento Law Firm will not be. We've seen this before. We've helped families both nationwide and in Ohio avoid the long-term repercussions of school misconduct, on campus or off it. We are here to protect your child's reputation and their future. Whether you need assistance pulling together a strong defense or going through your school's complicated appeal process, we're ready to get started. If you are, too, give us a call at 888.535.3686 or fill out this brief form to tell the Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm more about your case.