Parents pride themselves on the aid and support they give to their children. Whether the younger ones in the family are enrolled in primary or secondary schools, colleges or universities, or any number of post-graduate educational programs, their parents are beside them throughout the journey. Graduating with a degree, diploma, or professional certification is the first step toward entering the competitive and fast-paced workforce in the San Diego metropolitan area.
Some challenges students face are individual semester-long assignments, group projects, extracurricular requirements, standardized tests, community service projects, and completing applications to seek further education. Even though students become more self-reliant in adolescence and early adulthood, supportive parents help their children pursue their goals. Yet, sometimes obstacles arise that neither students nor their parents are prepared to handle. Unfortunately, many schools harbor zero-tolerance disciplinary policies, and what used to be managed with positive behavioral interventions and discussions with parents is commonly addressed through:
- Being stripped of academic honors and leadership roles
- Out-of-school suspension
- Placement in an alternative education program
- Expulsion without a chance to reenroll
Parents hope schools will have their child's best interests at heart, but that isn't the case. As a vast institution, a school is obligated to safeguard its state and federal funding streams along with its public reputation. Schools will not hesitate to enforce stringent grievance procedures and harsh sanctions when any instance of misconduct arises. Consequently, even well-behaved students with first-time offenses are treated like statistics.
Therefore, parents and those supporting students through their academic careers should know that professional help is available before misconduct allegations arise. You or your student child may not understand the inner workings of an institution's disciplinary strategy or recognize when addressing the situation goes too far. Parents in the San Diego metropolitan area should call Joseph D. Lento and his Team at the Lento Law Firm to see how they can help defend their rights and keep their students aligned and engaged with their studies.
San Diego Metropolitan Area
Settled in the southwestern corner of California, the area is one of the top-five most populous areas in the U.S., encompassing well over three million inhabitants. As a cultural and financial hub, the area boasts a diverse and dynamic economy full of promising careers in various industries for graduates looking to begin their dream jobs.
However, employers and college admissions boards pick only the best candidates. Students dealing with serious misconduct charges may not have their choice of school or career. Considering sanctions and investigations of alleged misconduct are reported on a student's record, they will lose preference. You need a proven student defense advisor familiar with the area who can negotiate with school administration officials to keep your student child out of trouble. Luckily, Joseph D. Lento is no outsider to the San Diego metropolitan area and the cities and suburbs within, including:
- Alpine
- Borrego Springs
- Carlsbad
- Chula Vista
- Coronado
- Del Mar
- El Cajon
- Encinitas
- Escondido
- Imperial Beach
- La Jolla
- La Mesa
- Lemon Grove
- Lincoln Acres
- National City
- Oceanside
- Pine Hills
- Poway
- Rancho Santa Fe
- San Diego
- San Marcos
- Santee
- Solana Beach
- Tierra Del Sol
- Vista
Whether your high school son or daughter faces a change in traditional studies to an alternative education placement or you're a third-year graduate student struggling through a remediation program, a professional student defense advisor will help. Joseph D. Lento and Lento Law Firm have assisted countless students from primary school to post-doctoral studies programs.
San Diego Metropolitan Area Student Concerns
Students enrolled in one of the numerous academic, professional, military, or medical education programs in the San Diego metropolitan area must overcome obstacles. While academia and forming bonds with peers can be challenging enough, there could be impediments to success that aren't straightforward.
The obligations of state and federal funding streams require obedience to supplemental sets of rules in addition to what the school or district expects from students. Institutions may also give instructors the ability to develop degree or classroom-specific guidelines. As a result, they may burden students with unrealistic expectations, leaving them confused about acting differently around various faculty members. Moreover, your children could be subject to conflicts of interest, discrimination, a lack of school oversight over employees, or even an institution's complete disregard for its own policies.
San Diego Metropolitan Area Schools
No matter what grade level or degree concentration your child is undertaking, premier student defense advisor Joseph D. Lento is available to provide a strong defense. For example, dependable representation is attainable at the following colleges and universities:
- Alliant International University
- Azusa Pacific University
- Brandman University
- California College San Diego
- California State University—San Marcos
- California Western School of Law
- John Paul the Great Catholic University
- National University
- Point Loma Nazarene University
- San Diego Christian College
- San Diego State University
- Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- University of California—San Diego
- University of Phoenix
- University of San Diego
Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm's proven student defense team are also on hand to represent students in public K-12 programs in metro area school districts, including:
- Alpine Union School District
- Bonsall Unified School District
- Borrego Springs Unified School District
- Cajon Valley Union School District
- Cardiff School District
- Carlsbad Unified School District
- Chula Vista Elementary School District
- Coronado Unified School District
- Dehesa School District
- Del Mar Union School District
- Encinitas Union School District
- Escondido Union School District
- Escondido Union High School District
- Fallbrook Union School District
- Grossmont Union High School District
- Jamul-Dulzura Union School District
- Julian Union School District
- La Mesa-Spring Valley School District
- Lakeside Union School District
- Lemon Grove School District
- Mountain Empire Unified School District
- National School District
- Oceanside Unified School District
- Poway Unified School District
- Ramona Unified School District
- Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School District
- San Diego Unified School District
- San Dieguito Union High School District
- San Marcos Unified School District
- San Pasqual Union School District
- San Ysidro School District
- Santee School District
- Solana Beach School District
- South Bay Union School District
- Spencer Valley School District
- Sweetwater Union High School District
- Vallecitos School District
- Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District
- Vista Unified School District
- Warner Unified School District
Students attending private elementary and secondary schools across the San Diego metropolitan area can also get help from student defense advisor Joseph D. Lento and his team at the Lento Law Firm, including, but not limited to, those enrolled in:
- Academy of Our Lady of Peace
- All Hallows Academy
- Bright Horizon Academy
- Chabad Hebrew Academy
- The Charter School of San Diego
- Children's Creative/Performing Arts Academy
- City Tree Christian
- Coastal Christian Academy
- The Evans School
- Francis Parker Middle/Upper School
- Fusion Academy
- The Gillespie School
- Japanese Academy of San Diego
- Montessori School of San Diego
- Mt. Erie Christian Academy
- Nativity Prep Academy
- Our Lady's School
- Pioneer Day Community School
- Reformation Lutheran School
- The Rock Academy
- San Diego French American School
- School of the Madeleine
- Southern California Yeshiva
- St. Augustine
- St. Gregory the Great Catholic School
- St. Patrick's School
- Tabernacle Christian Academy
- Torah High School of San Diego
- The Waldorf School of San Diego
Disciplinary Defense in the San Diego Metropolitan Area
Each school or district in the metro area will have rules governing student behavior to maintain its educational goals. One of the most common designations is the code of conduct, which can also be referred to as the honor code or student handbook. A parent's first line of defense in supporting their child is that set of institutional guidelines. The code of conduct will outline what the school considers misconduct and how infractions are addressed through investigations, hearing procedures, and subsequent sanctions.
Retaining the help of a professional student defense advisor will help you understand your child's code of conduct and how their school manages discipline. Further, it will show you the school's limitations on discipline if students are at risk of excessive punishment. Schools may create rules affecting students in nearly every aspect of their lives, but most misconduct fits into three primary categories:
- Academic misconduct
- Non-academic misconduct
- Title IX and sexual misconduct
Academic Progression Issues
While not technically academic misconduct, schools create guidelines on student academic progress. Federal financial obligations require schools to enforce students' satisfactory academic progress (SAP). Every school will have a policy detailing achievement requirements throughout the program's duration.
For example, San Diego State University mandates that students maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA), a minimum course completion rate, and a course to graduate before going past the maximum enrollment timeframe.
While most primary and secondary schools don't require students to maintain federal financial aid eligibility, there are still obligations to be fulfilled before graduation. The Charter School of San Diego, for instance, requires a certain number of credits, service or work experience education hours, a senior year presentation, and graduation orientation.
Nevertheless, typical violations of SAP guidelines are addressed with academic probation or remediation at the outset. Corrective measures, including meetings with academic advisors, being stripped of positions on teams or club memberships, and raising your grades within as little as one semester can prove daunting. Failure to fulfill the institution's requirements to get back in good standing can quickly lead to suspension and expulsion.
Academic Misconduct
Students must produce original work. While they spend their time learning and studying scholars of old, relying on them to pass exams or get good grades on papers will garner disciplinary action. K-12 schools in the San Diego metropolitan area may detail how homework, proctored exams, and group projects must be completed. Typically, they will have a policy addressing instances of cheating and plagiarism. However, institutions of higher education often dive deeper into types of disingenuous work. For example, the University of California—San Diego describes the following actions as violations of its academic integrity policy:
- Copying and pasting without citing the source
- Fabricating citations
- Passing off another's ideas or work as your own
- Paraphrasing incorrectly
- Using media files, such as images, audio, or video files, without citing them
Although schools are well within their boundaries to levy harsh sanctions against students who subvert academic standards, they may not grant students due process. Disciplinary boards may act on unsubstantiated information or impose excessive sanctions. Teachers, coaches, or other faculty members may also mischaracterize students for acts they weren't responsible for.
Non-Academic Misconduct
A methodical academic and social environment is conducive to student progress. Institutions have a wide range of actions, behaviors, and items forbidden on campus and at any school-sponsored event. Clearly, criminal activity is prohibited, but schools tend to address anything that disrupts the learning atmosphere with corrective actions
For instance, the University of San Diego may allege misconduct if students engage in the following:
- Alcohol consumption outside the bounds of state law
- Bringing pets into residence halls
- Dishonest conduct
- Disruptive behavior
- Operating hoverboards on campus
- Posting excessive signage on university buildings
- Soliciting business
- Theft
- Unauthorized assemblies
- Using drones on campus without authorization
While some non-academic misconduct charges are relatively minor, they can quickly ruin a student's reputation. Sanctions will be documented on a student's record; therefore, college admissions boards and potential employers may place that student's profile at the bottom of the pile. Moreover, being labeled a troublemaker may reinforce bad behavior and represent a steep challenge for your child in their journey toward education or career.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct
The federal government's Title IX legislation compels schools receiving public funding to address instances of sexual misconduct without delay. Every institution, from elementary school to post-doctoral programs, has a Title IX coordinator that oversees the process. Schools may differ slightly on the timeframes of the investigative, hearing, and appeals stages, but most will proceed similarly.
According to the Title IX policy of Azusa Pacific University, the following are violations:
- Dating/Domestic violence
- Harassment
- Intimidation
- Retaliation
- Sex and gender discrimination
- Sexual abuse, exploitation, harassment, misconduct
- Stalking
The hearing processes governing K-12 schools and institutions of higher education are marginally different. Primary and secondary schools will have optional live hearings, parental involvement during the proceedings, and mandatory reporting requirements for faculty, staff, and volunteers. Colleges and universities may or may not allow outside representation for students. Regardless, Title IX offenses are serious at any grade level. Defending your child in these situations without a professional student defense advisor can quickly lead to expulsion from the school.
How Joseph D. Lento Can Help You
The objective for parents is to quickly relieve the stress of misconduct allegations from their student children. You may believe you need to hire an attorney, but that typically leads to lengthy, drawn-out lawsuits with the school that can last for months and even years. You need private, prompt, and professional assistance.
Joseph D. Lento has built and maintained relationships with members of numerous schools' Office of General Counsel (OGC) in the San Diego metropolitan area. He and the Lento Law Firm can broker beneficial resolutions on behalf of students outside formal hearings. Call 888-535-3686 today or visit the confidential online consultation form.
