Students in the Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) come from all across Denton and Dallas counties, including Lewisville, Flower Mound, The Colony, and Carrollton. The district operates and oversees many excellent schools, such as Marcus High School, Hebron High School, and Briarhill Middle School, to provide these local students with a solid foundation for academic and personal success. However, like any large school district, district officials have the difficult balance of disciplining students while still empowering them to learn and grow. LISD and local school administrators can recommend Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) placement for Lewisville students who disrupt the school environment or jeopardize the health and safety of those on campus.
Placement in a DAEP isn't typically a long punishment; it can be over in a few short months. However, the experience of leaving their home campus and facing increased scrutiny can change a student's educational outlook, as well as make their daily life much more stressful and disheartening. Avoiding DAEP placement should be a top priority whenever your Lewisville ISD student gets in trouble or faces accusations of misconduct by school administrators.
The Lento Law Firm wants to help keep your LISD student enrolled in their home campus, remaining close to friends and teachers who positively shape their future. We operate two nearby offices in Houston and Austin, and our Student Defense Team is well-positioned to help families across LISD with their DAEP concerns. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to begin defending your child against DAEP placement in LISD.
More About the Lewisville Independent School District
Lewisville ISD is a fairly large district covering roughly 125 square miles and serving over 50,000 students. Most of those students come from nearby cities and towns like Lewisville, Flower Mound, The Colony, Frisco, Plano, and Double Oak. Despite growth in the past two decades, Lewisville ISD issued school closures due to low enrollment trends. However, the LISD Trustees voted to close only elementary schools, leaving the district's middle and high schools untouched.
Some of the largest schools in the Lewisville ISD include:
- Lewisville High School
- The Colony High School
- Hebron High School
- Edward S. Marcus High School
- Flower Mound High School
- Arbor Creek Middle School
- Briarhill Middle School
- Griffin Middle School
- Killian Middle School
- Hebron Valley Elementary
- Lewisville Elementary
Regardless of which school your LISD student attends, the truth is that DAEP placements can be highly disruptive to their academic progress and social development. Lewisville DAEP occurs at the Lewisville Learning Center, which also offers the district's Student Age Parenting program and Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program for all of Denton County. DAEP students at the Lewisville Learning Center still partake in age-appropriate classes with peers, but their previous school's close-knit community and campus culture are missing.
Continued enrollment trends and budget issues may result in LISD schools facing hardships as they attempt to educate students and provide them with a safe, welcoming environment. In these situations, students are more likely to get into trouble or fall behind in their classes. If your child is facing a potential DAEP placement due to their actions or behaviors at their LISD school, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help. Our goal is to keep your child's educational journey on track by challenging unfair decisions and exploring alternative resolutions to DAEP placement.
What is DAEP Placement in Lewisville ISD?
The Lewisville ISD addresses dangerous and disruptive behavior by students in many ways, such as grade reductions, detention, in-school suspensions, and expulsions. However, one more option at their disposal that not many families know about is the Texas Disciplinary Alternative Education Program. DAEP placements remove students from their home campus and place them in dedicated DAEP schools, often used by schools to address serious or repeated misconduct.
Lewisville ISD's DAEP school—the Lewisville Learning Center, located in Lewisville on Edmonds Lane—educates students from all across the district, whether their home campus is in Hebron or Copper Canyon. The city of Lewisville's central location in the district is the fairest location for a DAEP school, but it does mean that many students must travel far distances to arrive at school without the help of district-provided transportation.
LISD's DAEP school will place higher expectations on students compared to their home campus. Continued disciplinary violations will more than likely result in further time away from their home campus, as school and district administrators can extend DAEP in certain circumstances. Plus, with more scrutiny of their behavior, the likelihood of simple mistakes increases.
Lewisville ISD offers students plenty of fantastic, well-funded, and engaging schools at all grade levels. Removing students from those environments does not give them the best chance of success, and your goal as a parent should be to avoid DAEP placement whenever possible. Call the Lento Law Firm today to learn more about your student's DAEP defense options.
Disciplinary Offenses in LISD That Lead to DAEP Placement
LISD's Code of Conduct details the types of behaviors and actions that can lead to disciplinary actions, up to and including DAEP placement and expulsion from a student's home campus. Even though most kids never aim to break the rules, new laws and enforcement policies have increased DAEP rates across Texas, including in Lewisville ISD. Compared to the state average, Lewisville ISD students enter DAEP at lower rates. However, Lewisville ISD has followed the broader trend, increasing placements from roughly 600 in the 2022-2023 school year to 728 in the 2023-2024 school year.
Certain offenses require placement in a DAEP under Texas law and LISD policies. These offenses include:
- Engaging in felony acts.
- Committing assault as defined by Texas Statutes.
- Possessing or using tobacco products, e-cigarettes, or vaping devices.
- Possessing, using, or attending school or school activities while under the influence of controlled substances, marijuana, or alcohol.
- Public lewdness and indecent exposure.
- Retaliation against a school employee or volunteer.
- Making terroristic threats, false reports, or bomb threats.
LISD administrators may also remove students from the classroom and recommend DAEP for lower-level offenses. Often, DAEP is reserved for students who routinely break the rules and continue to cause disruptions at their home campus that traditional discipline cannot fix. The offenses that potentially lead to DAEP placement in Lewisville ISD include:
- Bullying or cyberbullying.
- Releasing intimate visual material without consent.
- Participating in criminal street gang activity.
- Vandalizing school property.
- Theft.
- Harassment of students, teachers, or staff.
- Bringing prohibited or dangerous items onto school property, such as knives.
While these offenses are some of the most common reasons for DAEP placement, not all infractions automatically lead to this outcome. LISD must also consider mitigating factors when making their decision, opening up an avenue of defense to keep your student enrolled in their home campus. These DAEP mitigating factors include:
- Whether the student was engaged in self-defense
- Whether the student intended to engage in the conduct
- The student's disciplinary history
- Whether a student's disability impacted their actions or their ability to understand their actions
- Whether the student is in foster care or homeless
Explaining the situation behind your student's action and identifying one or more mitigating factors is one of the most effective ways to prevent removal and DAEP placement in Lewisville ISD. The Lento Law Firm operates a nearby office in Dallas, and our experienced attorneys are familiar with the Texas/Lewisville ISD DAEP system. Call our Student Defense Team today to learn how we can help your student avoid DAEP placement after accusations of misconduct at school.
The DAEP Placement Process in Lewisville ISD
Even if your student is accused of a disciplinary violation that carries mandatory DAEP placement, LISD administrators must follow district procedures and allow the student and their family the opportunity to defend against accusations. The DAEP process in Lewisville ISD includes the following steps:
- Immediate Removal and Parent Notification: If a student commits an infraction that may result in DAEP placement, the campus administrator removes the student from the regular classroom environment. The administrator then notifies the student's parents and provides details of the upcoming conference.
- Conference: Campus administrators schedule conferences within three days of the removal. Attendees of the meeting include the student, parents, and, sometimes, the teacher who referred the student for removal. During the conference, students and their families receive:
- The reasons for the removal.
- An explanation of the basis for the removal.
- An opportunity to respond to the allegations.
- During this conference, administrators take into account the mitigating factors discussed prior and decide how they impact the basis of the removal.
- Placement Order: Administrators issue a formal placement order if they review the situation in its entirety and still believe DAEP placement is warranted. Parents receive a copy of the placement order and further information about how to appeal or adjust the decision.
- Duration and Adjustments: Not all placement lengths are the same, but DAEP placement in LISD does carry a minimum length. Students in grades 6-12 must enter DAEP for a minimum of 20 days, while younger elementary students only require a minimum of 5 days. Students receive longer placements if administrators deem placement necessary to keep students and staff safe.
- Appeals: Parents who disagree with the placement decision can file an appeal to the district. Three levels of DAEP appeals are available to LISD parents, though the requirements and timelines are strict. After appealing at all three levels, district administrators consider the matter resolved, meaning no further appeals are available.
- Placement Reviews: Students remaining in the LISD DAEP system for extended periods receive periodic reviews to check graduation plans and the feasibility of returning the student to their home campus. Parents have the opportunity during placement reviews to argue in favor of their child returning instead of remaining at LISD's DAEP school.
Despite offering multiple opportunities for appeals, Lewisville ISD parents should not assume that legal assistance isn't necessary to fight DAEP placements. Each appeal requires a new appeal form, a new submission, and a new meeting with school or district officials. If you wait more than three days after receiving a response, you cannot appeal further.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team has direct experience working inside the Lewisville ISD system and understands what is needed to successfully defend local students. Prior to appeals, the Lento Law Firm will coordinate with LISD officials and help make the case that your student does not belong in the DAEP system.
DAEP Defense for Students in Lewisville Independent School District
Lewisville ISD's DAEP placements at the Lewisville Learning Center intend to create safer environments on campus and help students overcome behavioral issues. However, even though DAEP placement often offers LISD students an alternative to expulsion, the new DAEP environment often introduces additional social and educational setbacks. Texas students enrolled in DAEP programs have lower graduation rates, and the rate for students with extended placements or repeat enrollments is even worse. Lewisville ISD schools have an obligation to discipline students to address campus disruptions and threats, but immediate removal of students from their home campus is not the solution.
Creating unique appeals and negotiating with school administrators to reduce disciplinary punishment is hard work, especially if you are unfamiliar with internal LISD processes. The Lento Law Firm has direct experience protecting Lewisville ISD students and is prepared to take on your case. Call our Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to learn more about your child's options for DAEP defense in Lewisville ISD. With a nearby office in Dallas, the Lento Law Firm is here to help.
