We've all done it: hit the send button only to realize too late that we've sent a chat message, text, or email to the wrong person. In the usual case, a misdirected message means no harm, no foul. Just let the recipient know you've made a mistake, right? Maybe the sender suffers a little embarrassment. But there are instances in which real harm follows a misdirected message. Think twice before hitting send.
Misdirected Messages and School Discipline
Whether you or your student will face school disciplinary charges for a misdirected message depends on the message's content. Most misdirected messages are harmless, even in a school setting. Who really cares if you mistakenly text your school advisor to pick up some milk on the way home? A brief explanation when the “Huh? Meant for me?” reply comes back should set everything straight.
But sometimes, the message's content can include information that could be damaging and result in discipline. A message that indicates cheating, like “What's the answer to problem 6?” misdirected during an exam, would likely result in a swift school disciplinary response. So, too, would a misdirected message that conveys a threat of violence, constitutes harassment or sexual harassment, or reflects bullying or, in this case of an electronic transmission, cyberbullying. Other misdirected messages suggesting drug deals, alcohol abuse, sexting, or other prohibited school conduct can likewise get a student in swift and serious trouble.
School Discipline
Misdirected messages can be a real hazard in school because school codes of conduct reach and punish a lot of different student misbehaviors. School is generally the most highly regulated environment a person encounters. Schools tend to regulate nearly everything, not just academic conduct but also personal conduct, social behaviors, intimate relationships, property use and possession, and a range of other concerns. School disciplinary officials will find grounds in those codes to charge any of the above forms of misconduct and many other forms of misconduct discovered from a misdirected message, including cheating, threats, harassment, bullying, drug deals, alcohol abuse, sexting, pornography, and computer misuse.
Retain a Premier School Discipline Defense Attorney
National school discipline defense attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team are available nationwide to help you defend and defeat disciplinary charges, including charges resulting from a misdirected message. Accidents happen, but don't let a text or email mistake spoil your education. Misdirected messages lead directly to confusion and misunderstanding. Your misdirected message may have been entirely innocent, even if school disciplinary officials have misconstrued it to indicate prohibited misconduct. Further explanation may be the solution. But if your matter is already in the hands of disciplinary officials, don't try to fix things on your own. The stakes behind disciplinary charges are too high. Get the skilled and experienced defense attorney representation you need. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.
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