The Impact of Off-Campus Actions on School Life in Arkansas
Off-campus behavior can significantly impression your student's academic experience in their school. Although it might seem unfair, it is not uncommon for your child's school to hold them accountable for behavior that occurred off-school premises. For example, students can be punished in most schools for the content they share on social media, especially if it infringes on another student's school experience or rights. When the parents of the victimized child discover who is at fault, they are likely to ask the school to punish that student for causing their child pain.
When the school disciplines your child, it could mean forcing them to sit through detention or Saturday school or endure suspension or expulsion. Whatever the punishment, it can have a lasting impact on your child's future. So, the best thing you can do when your child is facing disciplinary action from their school is to work with an experienced student defense attorney.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team recognizes how devastating these accusations can be and will work meticulously to guarantee your child the best possible outcome for their case. Call 888-535-3686 today or schedule a consultation online. Lento Law Firm can help.
Navigating Off-Campus Misconduct and School Responses in Arkansas Schools
Students know that they can get in trouble for their behavior at school and school-sponsored events or activities; many do not realize they can also get into trouble for conduct they committed off-campus. However, for the school to punish a student for off-campus conduct, it must fit within specific guidelines.
Misconduct unrelated to school:
Students may get involved in a number of activities that have nothing to do with the school, such as breaking and entering, assault or battery, stealing cars or other property, or vandalism.
At Huntsville High School, students can be disciplined by their school for off-campus behavior that does not seem to relate to the school if it detrimentally affects the school's disciplinary plans. For instance, if a student is charged with committing a criminal act while off campus, like an assault or battery, and their presence may endanger the welfare of the school, they can be disciplined by the school.
Misconduct tangentially related to school policies:
Conduct that can get students into trouble with their school, even if it does not happen at school or at a school, or district, sponsored event in Arkansas but somehow relates to the school's policies, includes:
- Social media posts
- Improper internet usage
- Possession, selling, distributing, or being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs
- Misusing medication or medical supplies
For example, Crossett High School students are prohibited from taunting, degrading, or ridiculing another person on the basis of a protected group status, and they cannot possess, view, distribute, or transmit sexually explicit or vulgar images. If they are caught doing either of these prohibited activities, even if it is off campus and does not involve the school or school district, the school believes they have the right to hold them accountable.
Misconduct that directly involves the school, a school staff member, another student, or the school community:
When a student's off-campus conduct directly involves the school, a member of the staff, or another student, or happens at a school-sponsored function or while traveling to or from school or a school activity, it can be adjudicated by the school.
Students at Jessieville High School can also be held accountable for any off-campus terroristic threats. Thus, if a student uses social media or text messages to make a threat about bombing the school, the school will discipline them even if school is not in session or the school year is over. Other reasons a Jessieville High School student would be disciplined for off-campus behavior includes:
- Sexual misconduct
- Drug law violations
- Assault or battery
- Threatening a school shooting
- A felony or an act that would be considered a felony if an adult did it
Therefore, there are several ways the school or school district will try to convince you that they can discipline your child, even when the conduct occurs off campus. Having a skilled student defense attorney in your corner during these proceedings, especially the initial interviews and conferences, will ensure your child is not subjected to unnecessary consequences.
Decoding Adjudication Approaches in Arkansas Schools
While the response to off-campus conduct may vary from school to school, the entire state agrees that any conduct that is considered a felony, whether it happens on or off-campus, at a school-sponsored event, or to and from school, requires disciplinary action. Unfortunately, this determination seems to be subjective. Meaning that many students will be subjected to uncomfortable and exhausting proceedings for no reason.
If your child is penalized for off-campus behavior, the disciplinary process they are facing will follow a similar path as the one described below. However, it is important to check with your child's particular school and school district for their specific rules. Here are a few examples of how Arkansas schools might respond to your student's off-campus transgressions:
- If your student attends a school in the Ozark Mountain School District and is accused of misconduct that happened off-campus and is not related to the school at all, they will require your child to attend after-school or midday detentions, limit their privileges on campus, or suspend them from participating in extracurricular functions.
- Students in the Cabot School District can be suspended from school for up to 10 school days if they are found responsible for conduct that is tangentially related to the school. So, if a student is caught cyberbullying a teacher, even if the cyberbullying occurs off campus, the student can be disciplined by the school for it.
- Additionally, if your child attends a school in the Emerson-Taylor-Bradley School District and is accused of committing an act off-campus that directly involves the school, the teachers or staff, or another student, the school has the grounds to discipline them. For instance, if your child gets into a physical altercation with a volunteer at a school-sponsored event being held at a hotel, they may decide, after a disciplinary hearing, to suspend your child for over 11 days or more or have them expelled from the school altogether.
The outcome your child can be subjected to will largely depend on the severity of the off-campus behavior and how it impacts the school – if at all. With such punishments as suspension or expulsion on the table, it is important you hire a student defense attorney the moment you learn of the accusations against your child. Lento Law Firm will review your particular school's policies, as well as the school districts and the Department of Education's, to determine if the purported disciplinary proceedings are fair. They will also help you and your child prepare for the proceedings, ensuring you know what kinds of questions will be asked of you and the best way to answer them.
How Misconduct Can Impact Your School Life in Arkansas
Most parents do not believe that school disciplinary proceedings can affect a child's entire life, especially when the student is in elementary or middle school. The truth is, though, that any kind of disciplinary action made against your child will affect them in one way or another.
For example, students who are disciplined for off-campus behavior can be transferred to another school or forced into an alternative education placement, no matter what grade they are in. Being removed from your regular classroom and classmates can severely impact a student's self-esteem and academic progress.
Moreover, punishments like this, as well as in-school and out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, can drastically affect a student's future. These kinds of punishments will be recorded on a student's final transcripts. For younger students, this means that the high school administration will hear about the incident and make assumptions prior to meeting you. This could result in you being placed on a sort of probation once high school starts.
For students in high school, your transcripts will be read by whichever college or university you apply to. Disciplinary actions that are recorded on your transcripts can negatively impact your ability to gain admission to the school or a particular program in the school. They can also adversely affect your scholarship and financial aid opportunities.
If you do get accepted to the school, you may be prohibited from joining extracurricular activities right away. This means you won't be able to rush Greek life, join intermural sports, or interact with other students around campus. Furthermore, if you are accused of any misconduct while in college or university, they may use your prior disciplinary action as “proof” of your guilt.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team has helped students across the state navigate disciplinary proceedings. They will use this experience to craft a strategic defense for your student, hopefully mitigating any negative experiences they may face.
Guiding Your Child Through School Disciplinary Proceedings in Arkansas
Parents believe that schools are going to give their children an easy disciplinary experience. What they typically do not understand is that school disciplinary proceedings have the potential to be harsher, and have worse consequences, than a criminal proceeding might. As such, they show up to the disciplinary hearing or conferences with the intention of defending their child on their own. And unfortunately, they end up unsuccessful a lot of the time, getting their child punished in the process.
Any kind of disciplinary process is exhausting, but in Arkansas, students accused of off-campus misconduct can be forced to endure frustrating and stressful proceedings full of investigations and loads of paperwork. To ensure you are not being overwhelmed by the process, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team will help you:
- Review the school's disciplinary policies, as well as any relevant policies the school district or Arkansas Department of Education may have. The goal is to ensure you are aware of what is in store for your child and your family during these proceedings.
- Begin an investigation into the alleged conduct and the school district's motives. By conducting their own investigation, Lento Law Firm will be able to strategize a comprehensive defense on your child's behalf.
- Start a direct line of communication with the school and school district officials, hopefully enabling smoother discussions and negotiations prior to any conferences or hearings.
- Collecting relevant evidence, including documents and witness testimony, that will help support your child's defense.
Furthermore, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team will also advise and represent your family throughout the disciplinary proceedings and, if necessary, any appeals proceedings afterward.
The Lento Law Firm is Ready to Help You Take Proactive Steps to Protect Your Child's Future
Your child is the light of your world, and when their school accuses them of misbehaving off-campus and decides to discipline them for it, it can be hard to decide what to do first. This is especially true if your school has called you in for a conference prior to notifying you of the accusations being laid against your child. When you show up without counsel, the school will do its best to gaslight you into agreeing with the punishment they have decreed for your child.
However, your child has the right to a disciplinary proceeding, as well as the advice and representation of an experienced student defense attorney. As such, it is crucial you have Lento Law Firm in your corner from the moment you learn of the accusations. Not only will they help you and your child prepare a defense, but they will also ensure you leave every meeting with the school or school district feeling empowered, protected, and fully informed.
Whichever Arkansas school your child attends, whether they are in elementary, middle, or high school, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help. Call 888-535-3686 today or schedule a consultation online.
