Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD) serves tens of thousands of Rio Grande Valley students across multiple communities in South Texas. With strong academic programs and Early College initiatives, PSJA ISD allows local students to build an academic future on solid ground. However, PSJA ISD also has the responsibility of correcting student misconduct that violates district policies. One of the most severe disciplinary punishments available is placement in the district's Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP), often reserved for students committing serious violations of PSJA ISD's Student Code of Conduct.
DAEP hopes to improve student behavior by providing an alternative learning environment. DAEP placement removes students from their home campus and temporarily enrolls them in a highly structured, restrictive campus. At first glance, DAEP campuses might seem like an effective way to help kids focus on academics and remain out of trouble. However, transitioning from home campus to DAEP is difficult for many students, jeopardizing their academic, social, and extracurricular success.
The Lento Law Firm has extensive experience defending students in Texas, including PSJA ISD, when accusations carry the potential for DAEP placement. We understand the risks, and our attorneys are ready to help from our nearby offices in Austin and Houston. Call our Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to begin building a defense for your PSJA student.
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District educates over 30,000 students across Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, McAllen, and surrounding communities. PSJA ISD is an open-enrollment school district, meaning students across the Rio Grande Valley can join the district and benefit from the local schools.
PSJA ISD is notable for its extensive Early College High School Program, which allows all high school students to earn a diploma while simultaneously completing an associate degree or up to 60 college credit hours. This academic program is offered at no additional cost to families and pairs well with the district's other educational and extracurricular opportunities, such as dual-language programs.
Some of the schools available for PSJA ISD students include:
- Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Early College High School
- Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial Early College High School
- Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest Early College High School
- Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School
- Alamo Middle School
- Austin Middle School
- Kennedy Middle School
- LBJ Middle School
- R. Yzaguirre Middle School
- Bowie Elementary School
- Doedyns Elementary School
- Santos Livas Elementary School
PSJA ISD's Disciplinary Alternative Education Program for students is located at Buell Central in Pharr. After a district disciplinary hearing, students in grades 6-12 assigned to DAEP might attend Buell Central for weeks, months, or years. Unfortunately, time spent at Buell Central is time that students cannot benefit from the programs and personalized assistance they come to expect from their home campus. DAEP restricts students from engaging in their local community, barring them from school grounds and extracurricular activities.
The purpose of DAEP placement in PSJA ISD is to discipline students engaging in reckless, disruptive behavior and keep the overall student body safe. However, individual students facing placement for unfair reasons can significantly fall behind after leaving their home campus. It's not fair that the outcome of one single disciplinary hearing can result in disaster for your child.
Contacting the Lento Law Firm early strengthens your student's DAEP defense. Call 888-535-3686 today to discuss your DAEP defense options in PSJA ISD and get started.
Daily Student Life at Buell Central DAEP
Placement in Buell Central DAEP completely removes students from their home campus and places them in a foreign, restrictive environment. For many students, the transition is extremely challenging, as students face stricter rules, fewer privileges, and an environment that prioritizes compliance over flexibility. Some of the daily issues that PSJA ISD students face in DAEP include:
- Highly Structured School Day: Students follow a rigid schedule with minimal downtime. The school strictly controls movement between classes, and students must remain engaged in assigned coursework throughout the day.
- Limited Access to Personal Belongings: DAEP schools do not allow most personalitems, such as cell phones, confiscating them in the morning and returning them at the end of the school day.
- Increased Behavioral Monitoring: DAEP teachers and staff closely observe students and subject them to heightened behavioral expectations. Additional instances of misbehavior might lead to an extension of a student's DAEP placement at Buell Central.
- Restricted Social Interaction: Students have little to no opportunities to interact with friends and fellow students until the end of the school day.
- Fewer Extracurricular Opportunities: Unlike the benefits they enjoy at their home campus, DAEP students do not participate in sports, clubs, or school-sponsored events, making it harder to stay connected to their academic and social community.
Buell Central DAEP educates students and aims to improve behavior, but the restrictive nature of the program makes it difficult for students to maintain their academic progress and social engagement. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team will help keep your student away from Buell Central by defending against misconduct accusations in PSJA ISD.
What Leads to DAEP Placement in PSJA ISD?
DAEP placement in PSJA ISD is not a minor disciplinary action. Similar to expulsion, district officials reserve DAEP for serious infractions that disrupt the school environment, threaten the safety of others, or involve illegal or prohibited behavior. Any PSJA ISD student facing serious disciplinary accusations should contact the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team as soon as possible to protect against DAEP placement.
While school and district officials have discretion in some circumstances, PSJA ISD's Student Code of Conduct outlines certain behaviors that require automatic placement in DAEP if the student is responsible for the conduct. As such, students found responsible for any of the following offenses must enroll in DAEP:
- Terroristic threats or false alarms
- Felony-level conduct
- Assault
- Prohibited weapons possession
- Drug and alcohol violations
- Sexual misconduct
- Harassment or threatening of school employees
- Gang-related activities
While mandatory DAEP placement might be on the table, that isn't the end of the story. The Lento Law Firm can represent your PSJA student, help limit the length of DAEP placement, and prevent district officials from ordering further enrollment at the end of the school year.
Some conduct violations do not require DAEP placement; they simply allow DAEP placement as one possible disciplinary punishment. Examples of policy violations that might not lead to DAEP placement in PSJA ISD include:
- Bullying or cyberbullying
- Criminal mischief
- Repeated disruptive campus or classroom behavior
- Threats of violence
- Participation in prohibited student organizations or clubs
- Minor drug and alcohol-related offenses
It's important to remember that violations with discretionary DAEP placement are just as risky as those carrying mandatory placement as punishment. If your student has a previous disciplinary history, the risks to their future are high. Regardless of whether an offense is mandatory or discretionary, the Lento Law Firm can present mitigating factors to PSJA ISD administrators to lessen the severity of disciplinary punishment. These mitigating factors for DAEP placement include:
- Whether the student was acting to protect themselves from harm.
- Whether the student has a past behavioral record.
- Whether the offense was intentional or a misunderstanding.
- Whether the student has a disability affecting their ability to understand or control their actions.
- Whether the student is currently in the care of child protective services or experiencing homelessness.
Presenting mitigating factors to PSJA ISD officials in a persuasive fashion is just one of the ways that the Lento Law Firm can protect your student from DAEP placement. Even for mandatory placement offenses, mitigating factors can influence administrators' decisions and potentially shorten your student's DAEP placement. Call our Student Defense Team today to get started.
DAEP Placement Process in PSJA ISD
You should do everything in your power to keep your PSJA ISD student enrolled in their home campus. Not only are the behavioral restrictions at Buell Central DAEP stricter than other schools in the district, but the punishments are much steeper. Keeping them at their home campus keeps them closer to friends, engaged in the community, and on the path toward success.
The Lento Law Firm has extensive experience defending Texas students during DAEP proceedings and can help your PSJA student when their enrollment is at risk. Our Student Defense can assist and guide throughout the entire DAEP disciplinary process, which includes the following steps:
- Incident & Schedule: When PSJA students act out or break district policies, they might face removal from class. School administrators then review the removal to determine if the violation of district policies carries DAEP placement as a mandatory or discretionary punishment. Removal due to a DAEP offense results in a conference between students, parents, administrators, and teachers, scheduled within 3 days.
- Conference with School Officials: Campus Behavior Coordinators (CBC) or other administrators hold DAEP conferences to review the case with the student and their parents. The administrator presents the reasoning for a recommended DAEP placement, including any evidence supporting the allegations. After learning the details and evidence, students and parents have the right to respond and present their side of the story.
- Decision & Written Order: CBCs and administrators take into account any mitigating factors to make their final DAEP decision. If, after reviewing all presented information, they assign DAEP placement as a disciplinary punishment, they issue a written placement order detailing the duration of the placement.
- Reviews: Every DAEP case is unique. In PSJA ISD, the maximum placement period is one year. However, the district conducts status reviews at least every 120 days to adjust long-term placement plans as needed.
- Appeals Process: Parents who disagree with the placement can file an appeal with the school board. The student must remain in DAEP during the appeals process unless the board overturns the decision.
Very few students enjoy DAEP, but it's important to follow the rules to avoid further punishment. Continuing to violate PSJA ISD policies can lead to longer placements or expulsion. Certain circumstances might compel district officials to issue an immediate, emergency DAEP placement before conferences occur. During these times, students should continue to follow the rules to prevent administrators from increasing the severity of their decision.
With so much at stake, looking for alternative ways to protect your child's academic future in PSJA might be tempting. However, using sneaky tactics to avoid DAEP placement won't work. PSJA ISD can finalize the order even after you withdraw your student from the district, and placement orders can follow students across district lines. The best way to protect your PSJA student is by working with the Lento Law Firm to defend against accusations and explain why DAEP placement is not the ideal disciplinary solution.
Our Student Defense Team has worked throughout Texas, helping countless students overcome their DAEP concerns when accusations come their way. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 to begin defending your student's enrollment in PSJA ISD.
Defend Your PSJA ISD Student from DAEP Placement
DAEP placement is a severe disruption to a PSJA student's education. Regardless of the length of placement, leaving one's home campus makes it harder to keep up academically, participate in extracurriculars, or take advantage of the district's Early College Program. Even before hearings take place, emergency placements can suddenly turn a student's whole academic and social life upside down.
Accusations of misconduct and policy violations in PSJA ISD are not something you should take lightly. To protect your student's future, you must act quickly to challenge a DAEP placement and explore all available options to keep your child enrolled in their regular school. The Lento Law Firm has direct experience protecting PSJA students and is ready to help your child overcome their DAEP hurdles.
As soon as you learn of potential DAEP placement in your student's future, call the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team at 888-535-3686 today or contact us online.
