A person's education has an extraordinary effect on their life. A high school diploma allows a person to go to college, and a university degree can open the door to many different careers. When an issue with school discipline or academic misconduct threatens to derail a student's plans for the future, they can feel anxious and overwhelmed. Disciplinary issues can lead to permanent notations in a student's record, suspensions, or even expulsion from school.
While dealing with disciplinary issues can seem daunting, reaching an outcome that protects your academic standing and your future is possible. An experienced student defense attorney-advisor can help you prepare the most effective defense for your case. Attorney Joseph D. Lento has assisted hundreds of students in Buffalo and around the country with school disciplinary hearings and negotiations with school administrations. If you or your child is accused of misconduct, don't go it alone! Schedule an appointment with the Lento Law Firm today by calling 888.535.3686.
The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Cattaraugus Metropolitan Area
Residents of the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Cattaraugus Metropolitan enjoy a large city set against the backdrop of picturesque natural features. Nestled at the end of the Niagara River and situated at the end of Lake Erie, tourists and students alike flock to Buffalo to take advantage of the city's location and visit world-class theatres, museums, and schools.
As the second-largest city in New York State, Buffalo has all the complexities of a major urban area. The city has five distinct districts, composed of 35 neighborhoods, including Elmwood Village, Allentown, Central Park, Black Rock, and North Park. The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Cattaraugus metropolitan area also includes several cities and towns throughout Erie, Niagara, and Cattaraugus counties. Attorney Joseph D. Lento is licensed in the state of New York, and has assisted students in Buffalo and surrounding communities like Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, West Seneca, Lackawanna, Kenmore, Depew, Eggertsville, Lancaster, Olean, and Salamanca. The Lento Law Firm regularly negotiates with school administrations, public agencies, and courts throughout New York state on behalf of their clients. Attorney Lento's familiarity with student discipline defense in Buffalo and throughout New York's educational systems means students and parents can rest assured they are in qualified hands.
Buffalo Metro Area Student Concerns
Though Buffalo may be situated in a beautiful location, life in the city and its suburbs is not always easy. Students in Buffalo not only have to worry about achieving good grades, participating in extra-curricular activities, and every other daily concern, but many in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Cattaraugus metropolitan area also have to be worried about violence. Violence has plagued schools throughout Buffalo for over a decade, and efforts to curb violence in the city have been less effective than expected. Many students attend schools where assaults are commonplace, and others have to commute through unsafe areas.
When students do not feel safe, they may act out in school or make poor decisions. Some are susceptible to friends who are bad influences, and students who experience violence in their personal lives might not be able to perform well academically for years. Many parents in the Buffalo area attempt to keep their children safe by sending them to private schools. Issues with school discipline can happen in any type of school at any educational level, however. If you or your child is facing discipline after an incident at school, the Lento Law Firm can help you prepare your best defense.
Buffalo Metropolitan Area Schools
There are many excellent private schools and post-secondary educational institutions in Buffalo and the surrounding area. The school discipline defense team at Lento Law Firm is available to provide successful school disciplinary defense strategies and assistance in any of the colleges and universities in Buffalo, including:
- University at Buffalo, SUNY
- Buffalo State College
- Canisius College
- D'Youville University
- Medaille College
- Daeman College
- Niagara University
- Hilbert College
- Trocaire College
- SUNY Buffalo State College
- Villa Maria College
Attorney Joseph Lento can also provide award-winning student defense to younger students of all ages. If your child is in trouble with their school, the student discipline defense team at Lento Law can work with the school administration and officials to create an acceptable resolution. Some private schools in the Buffalo area include:
- City Honors School
- Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School
- Canisius High School
- Mount Mercy Academy
- Nardin Academy
- Darul Uloom Al-Madania
- Universal School of Buffalo
- Buffalo Seminary
- Nichols School
- The Park School of Buffalo
- Christian Central Academy
- Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
- St. Francis High School
- St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute
- Mount St. Mary Academy
- Cardinal O'Hara High School
- Elmwood Franklin School
- Notre Dame Academy
The Lento Law Firm can also help students in any district of the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Cattaraugus metropolitan area, including:
- Amherst Central School District
- Clarence Central School District
- East Aurora Union Free School District
- Hamburg Central School District
- Lancaster Central School District
- Orchard Park Central School District
- Starpoint Central School District
- Sweet Home Central School District
- Williamsville Central School District
Student Disciplinary Defense in the Buffalo Area
Allegations of misconduct accusations can be devastating for students and their families. While some students may expect their punishment will be little more than a slap on the wrist, school disciplinary measures can often have life-altering consequences. Students may have permanent letters of reprimand placed in their file, which can follow them to other educational institutions, or they may have to leave school due to a suspension or dismissal. In some instances, students can be expelled and never allowed to return to their school. School discipline defense attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento has years of experience defending students and can work with you to collect evidence and find witnesses to support your case. The Lento Law Firm can help you create a winning strategy and will be with you through every step of the disciplinary process. Some of the problems the Lento Law Firm can assist with include problems with academic progression or misconduct, behavioral allegations, and sexual misconduct issues.
Academic Progression Problems
A student's grades are often a determining factor when it comes to getting a job or getting into the university or graduate school of their choice. When grades start to slip, it is important that students correct the problem before the school takes action, like requiring remedial classes, placing the student on academic probation, or dismissing the student from the school. Academic progression issues can result in students and their parents paying thousands of dollars for tutoring, remedial classes, or lost tuition if the student is dismissed.
Problems with academic progression often have a cause. In some cases, a personal issue or crisis like a death in the family may have affected the student's ability to concentrate or study. In others, the school may not have provided adequate teaching or instruction for the student to learn the material. Some students may be able to show that a teacher's bias against them contributed to a bad grade. Whatever the reason, the student defense team at the Lento Law firm can help you or your student make the case to avoid academic dismissal.
Academic Misconduct Issues
Every college, university, and private school jealously guards its reputation as an educational institution. For that reason, schools universally punish academic misconduct like cheating, plagiarism, and fraud. Though it is reasonable for schools to want to prevent academic misconduct, the acts and actions that fall under this broad umbrella can be confusing and contradictory. Many students are unfairly accused of academic misconduct for actions they believed were allowed under the school rules. Students need to review their university or school's policies and handbook on what type of help constitutes cheating, what types of sources are allowed, and what counts as plagiarism.
Even after reading the school's code of conduct or handbook, students may still accidentally run afoul of school policies. If the school makes a determination of academic misconduct, the consequences can range from failing a course or getting reduced credit to academic probation and academic dismissal. In some schools in the Buffalo area, a determination of academic misconduct is grounds for expulsion. An academic misconduct violation lawyer can help students defend themselves against these charges: he can review the school's code of conduct, organize evidence that can assist the student in their defense, and negotiate with administrators for a fair resolution. Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm understand the complicated administrative processes involved with academic misconduct charges and can help you clear your name.
Behavioral Misconduct Issues
Actions that disrupt the school learning environment or put other people in danger are considered behavioral misconduct. They include offenses like fighting, bullying, destroying school property, drug and alcohol use, theft, and vandalism. Major disciplinary infractions are serious offenses that can trigger multiple types of penalties, commonly suspensions from school. In some cases, students may be permanently removed from school as a result of their behavior, and in extreme instances the student may be reported to law enforcement.
A student defense attorney advisor can advise students on the best way to respond to allegations of behavioral misconduct. Attorney Joseph D. Lento helps students by reviewing the facts of the incident, compiling witnesses and other types of evidence, holding the school accountable to its own policies, and negotiating resolutions that may avoid permanent notations in a student's record. No matter what type of misconduct charge you or your child is facing, the professional student misconduct defense team at the Lento Law Firm can help you prepare your defense.
Title IX Sexual Misconduct Issues
Title IX is a federal civil rights law that applies to any school that receives federal money, from elementary schools to universities and post-graduate programs. Under this law, educational institutions are required to prevent and take action against sexual harassment and sexual violence. These terms are relatively broad, and can include unwanted touching or sexual advances, harassment on the basis of a person's gender or sex, sexual assault, and rape. Title IX accusations are some of the most serious allegations students can face. The punishment for a determination that a student was responsible for sexual misconduct is frequently suspension or expulsion from school.
Students accused of Title IX offenses have the right to defend themselves from the charges. The school administration will generally perform an investigation and complete a report that is reviewed by a judicial determination board. This process may take only a few weeks to complete, which means an accused student should contact a Title IX attorney as soon as possible after they become aware of any allegations. Students do have rights and protections under the Title IX system, but they are often unaware of what these are or how best to take advantage of them. By retaining premier Title IX sexual misconduct attorney Joseph D. Lento, students can make sure that they are protected. The consequences of a negative finding on a Title IX violation charge are too severe for students to risk defending themselves on their own. The Lento Law Firm has helped hundreds of students fight charges at schools across Buffalo and New York, and can give you or your student the peace of mind you need to protect your reputation.
Value of Retaining a Buffalo School Disciplinary Attorney-Advisor
When facing a disciplinary committee or school administration, it is risky to rely on yourself. Even if the charges against you are erroneous or easily explained away, it can be difficult to navigate the disciplinary process in a way that works to your best advantage. Working with a knowledgeable student defense attorney advisor improves the chances of a positive outcome. Attorney Joseph D. Lento has assisted hundreds of students through the school disciplinary process, and can help students in Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Cattaraugus, and surrounding areas protect their reputations and guard their academic careers. To learn more about your legal rights and options after accusations by a school administration, call 888.535.3686 and speak with the Lento Law Firm now.
