Louisiana Elementary and Middle School Education Issues
Elementary school and middle school build the foundation not just of a child's academic learning. They help form the adult the child will become by shaping their social skills, self-confidence, values, and identity that they will carry into their adulthood.
However, elementary and middle school students in Louisiana face many challenges. They can face significant struggles in school that can derail their plans and make a lasting negative impact on their lives despite their young age. You must be ready to take on serious challenges. If your child is accused of wrongdoing or fails to progress academically or face other conflicts with their schools, taking that matter seriously isn't just important—it's essential to a successful future. Call the Lento Law Firm 888.535.3686 or reach out online for skilled and experienced education lawyers in Louisiana.
Louisiana Elementary and Middle School Academic Misconduct Charges
In Louisiana, students as young as middle school and elementary school can face academic misconduct charges. According to the Louisiana State Legislature, schools are advised to look for school-based solutions to student misconduct. According to Louisiana state law, elementary and middle school teachers are authorized to hold students accountable for academic misconduct and other issues such as habitual tardiness or absences. Individual schools have the authority to create rules that dictate the rules and procedures to deal with academic misconduct, such as plagiarism and cheating.
Academic misconduct is serious. A charge of plagiarism or cheating on an exam can jeopardize a young Louisiana student's future, including their chances of going to their desired college. Schools generally have a lot of latitude to punish academic misconduct according to their own rules and needs. Students and their families must be aware of their rights.
Louisiana Elementary and Middle School Behavioral Misconduct Charges
Louisiana students can run afoul of several school guidelines and find themselves accused of behavioral misconduct.
According to the Louisiana State Legislature, if student behavior interferes with “the orderly instruction of other students or poses an immediate threat to the safety or physical well-being of any student or teacher,” that teacher can remove the offending student. That student may then be placed in the custody of the school principal or someone the school designates for student safety. The escalation of the situation can be quick and have a lasting impact.
Even the youngest elementary students, from kindergarten to fifth grade, are subject to temporary removal from their classrooms in Louisiana school districts. These students are removed for at least thirty minutes for behavioral infractions. Older students, grades six through twelve, are not permitted to return to class during their class period. While this removal can safeguard the other students and provide a safe learning environment, it also impacts the removed students' learning.
Even more impactful to a student's academic progress are expulsions from Louisiana schools. Students deemed by their teachers, school administrators, and principals to be “unadjustable or incorrigible” may be permanently expelled, transferred, or re-assigned to another elementary or middle school.
The impact of behavioral misconduct on a student—even in the younger grades—can have a serious impact on the student's educational and disciplinary record.
Louisiana Elementary and Middle School Academic Progression Issues
Many Louisiana elementary and middle schools make education progression their main focus as a trusted indicator of school quality. “Pupil Progression Plans” are used by Louisiana schools to track how elementary and middle school students perform academically. If your student is not progressing academically to the satisfaction of their teacher or principal, they may be subject to discipline.
Not all schools or districts in Louisiana are happy with the strict guidelines surrounding academic progression. A 2023 literacy policy adopted by the Louisiana Board of Education has come under criticism. The policy is part of a push by the state of Louisiana to improve literacy levels in children in grades three and four, requiring those who score below grade level to receive 30 hours of literacy education over the summer—or risk repeating their grade. The move was meant to set a corrective course for learning after the pandemic. However, the strict new guidelines may leave some elementary or middle school students in danger of being ensnared in academic progression problems.
Failure to progress isn't simply a negative mark on a school record. It can affect a student's confidence, especially when it is declared early in a student's career. It can also contribute to other academic and school-related problems like disciplinary problems.
Louisiana Elementary and Middle School Disability Issues
Louisiana elementary and middle school students must also contend with issues regarding the disability accommodations that state and federal law require. Louisiana must comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that requires elementary and middle schools to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE). For students with disabilities, schools must maintain an Individualized Education Program (IEP). If a student with an IEP faces discipline for alleged misconduct, the school must conduct a manifestation determination as part of the adjudication process as required by federal law.
Louisiana Education Attorney Services
The Lento Law Firm can help you and your student face these challenges, ensure they are treated fairly under state law and school procedure, and advocate for the best possible outcome. The Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team can work with you to review the school's charges and understand your student's procedural rights. The team walks you through your student's exonerating or mitigating evidence to counter any charges. With the Lento Law Firm Team, you can understand your student's best interests and help you create a strategic plan. Your attorney can assist you in answering communication with the school and raise appropriate defenses with exonerating and mitigating evidence. The Lento Law Firm may also negotiate with school officials and district oversight officials, including general counsel or outside retained counsel, for alternative special relief. Your attorney may research, brief, and argue federal and state laws and regulations mandating or advising your student's special rights and relief.
Where the Lento Law Firm Can Help
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team represents and defends elementary
and middle school students nationwide, including across Louisiana. The skilled and experienced attorneys on the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team can represent your Louisiana elementary or middle school student at any of these locations.
Student Defense in New Orleans School Districts
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is available in New Orleans and its outskirts, including:
- Jefferson Parish Schools
- St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
- St. Charles Parish Public Schools
- St. Bernard Parish Public Schools
- St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools
- Plaquemines Parish Public Schools
- St. James Parish Public Schools
- Orleans Parish Public Schools
The Lento Law Firm is available to families of students in public, private, parochial, and charter schools.
Student Defense in Shreveport School Districts
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is available across Shreveport in the Caddo Parish School District as well as private, parochial, and charter schools.
Student Defense in Baton Rouge School Districts
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is available in the Baton Rouge area, whether you are in Ascension, Baker, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge, or other locations.
No matter your location in Louisiana, retain the Lento Law Firm's premier
Education Law Team to help your Louisiana middle or elementary school student with their school challenges. Their years of nationwide experience set them apart. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now for skilled and experienced attorney defense in Louisiana.
