Students of all ages and grades are expected to abide by certain standards when going to school. It doesn't matter if your child is in college or elementary school; at the beginning of every school year, students are given a student handbook that outlines exactly what is expected of them. This student handbook also outlines the policies and procedures the school will follow to settle conduct code violation allegations.
If your student is accused of violating the code of conduct in any way, working with an attorney advisor is the best way to ensure the school upholds your child's rights to a fair and equal hearing. Unfortunately, many schools fail to offer such due process and end up unnecessarily punishing students. When this happens, the course of your child's life can be altered forever. All students have the right to defend themselves.
Attorney Joseph D. Lento and Lento Law Firm have spent years helping students in similar situations. Their knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of these proceedings are unmatched. Call the Lento Law Firm today for help in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Metropolitan Area
Louisiana is unique in that the state is divided into parishes rather than counties. The Baton Rouge metropolitan area is an extensive area that surrounds the city of Baton Rouge, which has a population of almost 900,000 people. It includes the following parishes:
- Ascension
- East Baton Rouge
- East Feliciana
- Iberville
- Livingston
- Pointe Coupee
- St. Helena
- West Baton Rouge
- West Feliciana
And within these parishes are the following cities:
- Baker
- Baton Rouge
- Central
- Denham Springs
- Donaldsonville
- Gonzales
- New Roads
- Plaquermine
- Port Allen
- St. Gabriel
- Walker
- Zachary
It is typical of student defense attorney advisors to focus their practice in one town or at one college. But Attorney Lento believes that students throughout the country deserve the expertise of a seasoned attorney advisor. As such, his student defense practice is focused on students across the country, including the Baton Rouge metro area.
With nationwide reach comes increased skill and proficiency, allowing Attorney Lento to provide exceptional advice to students who are accused of violating their school's code of conduct. Whether your child is a first grader or going into their sophomore year of college, Attorney Lento and Lento Law Firm can help.
Baton Rouge Metro Area Student Concerns
Students face challenges every day. They are learning how to manage their responsibilities, relate to their peers, teachers, and administration, and figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Additionally, students in the Baton Rouge metro area are also stressed about racial injustices, destructive weather patterns, and food security. As such, students may begin to act out in ways they normally wouldn't. And when this happens, schools rarely view these behavior changes as cries for help and instead impose punishments that make these concerns even more stressful.
For example, take a student that is working before and after school to help pay the bills. If they are late to school on several occasions, they might receive after-school or Saturday detention, which would cut into their work time and limit their ability to help their family out. Schools should view this tardiness as a necessity of helping their family rather than penalizing them for taking on extra responsibility. An attorney advisor will reach out to the school on your child's behalf and attempt to negotiate for them, guaranteeing the best possible outcome for their case.
Baton Rouge Metro Area Schools
The Lento Law Firm can provide student defense advice to students in kindergarten all the way through college, no matter if the school is public or private.
Attorney Lento provides student defense advice to students in the following undergraduate and graduate programs:
- Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
- Louisiana State University
- Southern University & A&M College
- Baton Rouge Community College
Attorney Lento and Lento Law Firm are capable of working with students who attend public school in Baton Rouge metro area districts, including:
- Ascension School District
- Baker School District
- Central Community School District
- East Baton Rouge School District
- East Feliciana School District
- Iberville School District
- Livingston School District
- Pointe Coupee School District
- St. Helena School District
- West Baton Rouge School District
- West Feliciana School District
- Zachary School District
Attorney Lento is also available to help students in private schools, including:
- Baton Rouge International School
- Catholic High School
- Cypress Heights Academy
- The Dunham School
- Greater Baton Rouge Hope Academy
- Our Lade of Mercy School
- Parkview Baptist School
- Runnels School
- St. George School
- St. Jean Vianney School
- St. Joseph's Academy
- Trinity Episcopal School
In addition to the traditional schools listed above, Attorney Lento can also help students in the following diverse programs:
- Louisiana School for the Deaf
- Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired
- Louisiana Culinary Institute
- ITI Technical College
- Baton Rouge General School of Nursing
- Camelot College
- Delta College of Arts & Technology
- Medical Training College
- Baton Rouge School of Computers
Disciplinary Defense in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area
Students get into trouble all the time in school. If someone speaks out of turn, or misses the tardy bell, they are likely to get a note home or even after school detention. But when the disciplinary allegations get bigger, the punishments become more complex and harder to dole out without parental involvement. At least, that's how it's supposed to be.
Sometimes, schools forget to notify parents, or college students fail to inform their parents of certain allegations. Other times, students are punished for misunderstandings or over-exaggerations that are never fully investigated. And when this happens, students face unfair disciplinary hearing proceedings. If your underaged child has been put through a hearing or punished without you being notified, the school is at fault. An attorney advisor will be able to help make the school aware of that fact and work to have their decision overturned.
For years, Attorney Joseph D. Lento and Lento Law Firm have helped students of all ages navigate disciplinary proceedings and avoid unnecessary punishments that might wreak havoc on their current and future lives.
Academic Progression Issues
To keep students matriculating through their halls in an orderly manner, schools implement progress requirements they expect students to follow. If a student is unable to follow these progression requirements, they will be expelled from the school and forced to attempt to get a GED. While, technically, GEDs are no different than a high school diploma, they do have somewhat of a stigma attached to them. A GED is a clear indication that you left high school early or were unable to graduate in the "normal" way according to society's standards.
For instance, at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, in order to graduate, students must maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher, have an attendance record of at least 95%, a clean behavior record, and follow the Scholastic Honor Policy. If a student has a GPA under 2.5 by the end of their junior year, they will be placed on probation. And once a student falls below a 2.29 GPA, they are automatically expelled from the school.
Colleges also require students to meet specific progression milestones in order to graduate on time. At Louisiana State University, when faculty or staff see that a student is struggling to pass their courses, they will refer them to the Academic Intervention Team (AIT). AIT will review the student's record and determine a plan to help them get back on track.
If you or your child are having difficulty making it through your program at the same pace as your classmates, an attorney advisor can help.
Academic Misconduct Issues
Schools across the country require students to follow academic integrity standards, which include avoiding any academic misconduct. Academic misconduct is defined differently at every school but usually includes plagiarism, fabricating information for a paper or lab report, cheating, or helping others plagiarize, fabricate, or cheat on a school assignment or exam.
At Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (SUA&M), students who are found responsible for violating the academic honesty policy can be subject to anything from a lowered grade or failing grade on an exam, suspension for one year, or expulsion from the university altogether.
For the most part, the sanction imposed by the school is supposed to match the severity of the academic offense alleged. For example, if you are a middle schooler who is accused of glancing at your classmate's paper during an exam, you probably should not be expelled. Sadly, schools seem to forget the notion that the "punishment should match the crime" and end up punishing students most severely. Severe punishments like these can have serious consequences on a student's self-worth, self-respect, and self-esteem. A student defense attorney advisor can help ensure schools do not arbitrarily punish you without providing you with a fair hearing.
Behavioral Misconduct Issues
When the school year starts, students are given a copy of their school's student handbook, which includes a copy of the code of conduct and the exact procedures the school will follow if the student violates the code of conduct. The code of conduct lists the behaviors they expect students to exhibit and the ones they hope students will avoid. For example, at Catholic High School, if a student is caught committing one of the acts below, they will be referred for disciplinary action:
- Violate laptop and internet rules.
- Being caught producing or distributing pornography.
- Accessing social medial while on campus.
- Cyberbullying
- Stealing someone else's personal items.
- Destroying campus property.
- Violating the school dress.
- Having a mohawk.
During disciplinary hearings, students are supposed to have a chance to defend themselves against these behavioral violation allegations. In fact, it should state that in their student handbook. Once the disciplinary hearing finishes, the hearing committee will review the witnesses and evidence that either side has presented and determine if the student is responsible for the alleged conduct. If your school has failed to offer your child the opportunity to defend themselves, or you think they jumped to a conclusion too quickly, an attorney advisor can help.
Students usually also have the right to appeal the hearing committee's decision. Taking advantage of an appeals process is incredibly important to ensure your child has every chance possible to mitigate the negative consequences they are sure to receive. If the idea of pursuing an appeal is overwhelming, Attorney Lento can ease that burden for you. Call Lento Law Firm today.
Title IX Sexual Misconduct Issues
Title IX is a federal regulation that requires schools that receive federal funding to follow certain procedures when investigating and settling accusations of gender-based discrimination. Gender-based discrimination goes beyond not allowing a female student to play football with the male team to include sexual misconduct like sexual assault, rape, stalking, harassment, intimate partner violence, and domestic violence. If your child has been accused of a Title IX violation, they need to present a strong defense at their hearing.
Students who fail to present a strong defense will be subject to unnecessarily harsh and sometimes overreaching sanctions. Additionally, when a defense is insufficiently prepared, the student does not know how to cross-examine the other side's witnesses or evidence, putting them at more risk of losing their case.
How a Discipline Defense Attorney Can Help
When a student loses any of these cases, whether they are an issue of academic progression, academic misconduct, disciplinary issues, or Title IX violations, it can have a massive effect on their lives moving forward. For instance, if a student is suspended or expelled, those punishments are usually noted on their transcripts. If they try to apply to a new school, they will have to explain the incident to anyone who asks, which can make getting into the new school quite difficult.
Attorney Joseph D. Lento and Lento Law firm are qualified attorney advisors who appreciate how confusing and overwhelming these proceedings can be. As such, they will work diligently to help your student understand the gravity of the issues and develop a strategic defense.
Every student deserves the advice of an attorney advisor when facing these types of actions. Call 888-535-3686 today or schedule a consultation online. Lento Law Firm can help.
