Kansas Middle and Elementary Education Issues
The grade and middle-school years are vital ones for your child when it comes to developing strong learning and behavioral habits. That's why it can be so frustrating when your child starts to fall behind in school or repeatedly seems to be in disciplinary trouble. But in many cases, the fault doesn't lie solely with the student; teachers, administrators, and other students can each have an impact on your child's progress and discipline. That's why if your child is having serious academic or behavioral issues at their Kansas school, it can be helpful to have the assistance of one of the experienced attorneys from the Lento Law Firm Educational Law Team. If you have questions about how we can help, call us at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to set up a confidential consultation.
Kansas Middle and Elementary School Academic Misconduct Charges
Kansas requires its school districts to establish codes of conduct for their students. While the focus of the statutory requirements is on behavioral discipline, school districts typically include academic dishonesty or cheating as one of the types of misconduct that a student can be disciplined for.
The Kansas City Public Schools, for example, publishes a Code of Conduct Handbook for students, parents, and school administrators. It includes as a “Class I” offense “Academic dishonesty through cheating, copying, forging signature of teacher and/or parent, plagiarizing, or altering records” or helping someone else do so. A Class I offense is one that each teacher is generally expected to handle on their own, though it can result in an “office referral.” The handbook provides examples of acceptable discipline for Class I offenses, which vary depending on the age of the student.
The Wichita Public Schools have a similar prohibition against “Plagiarism, cheating, and lying.” A student can be suspended for violating this prohibition, though not without a hearing.
As you can see, the potential reactions to academic misconduct can vary, depending on the school district, the age of the student, and the type of misconduct that occurs. Working with an experienced education law attorney who can investigate the allegations against your child and protect your child's rights at school can make a significant difference in the outcome of an academic misconduct charge.
Kansas Middle and Elementary School Behavioral Misconduct Charges
Kansas law is much more descriptive when it comes to behavioral misconduct. Public school districts are required to have “policies or rules” governing student conduct that “include procedures for enforcement.” As a result, school districts typically have detailed handbooks or codes of conduct that describe a wide range of prohibited behaviors, potential consequences for violations, and procedural rules for how the more serious forms of discipline are administered.
Overland Park's Shawnee Mission School District, for example, publishes an Elementary Student Handbook that prohibits behaviors that are “coercive, intimidating, violent, or harassing.” Disciplinary responses can range from an “Informal Talk by the Staff Member,” to a “Teacher Assigned Detention Period,” to a “Formal Conference” involving the student, teacher, school officials, and parents, to suspension or expulsion.
Kansas Middle and Elementary School Academic Progression Issues
Student behavioral problems can result in the school refusing to allow the student to progress to the next grade level. When the student's behavior interferes with their learning, grades can drop, and the school may refuse to advance the child to the next grade. This is where early intervention can help. Contact the school to address academic or behavioral issues before they threaten your child's advancement. It's also where working with one of the experienced education law attorneys from the Lento Law Firm Education Law Team can help. We can work with you and your child's school to arrive at a reasonable solution to academic progression issues that protect your child's rights while keeping their legitimate educational needs in mind.
Kansas Middle and Elementary School Disability Issues
If your child has been diagnosed with a learning or other type of disability, their school is required by federal and state law to take that disability into account in a number of ways. Your child may be entitled to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that is tailored to their needs and is designed to help them learn to the best of their abilities, ideally within a regular classroom environment.
Kansas schools are well aware of their obligations under federal law to provide what's called a “Free Appropriate Public Education” (or FAPE) to all children, and to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as it applies to students at the elementary and middle-school levels. That said, parents and school administrators don't always see eye-to-eye when it comes to creating an IEP for a student or when a student with a disability is disciplined; the Lento Law Firm Education Law Team's attorneys can help you work with your school to make sure the school is meeting its federal and state obligations to your student.
Kansas Education Attorney Services
The Lento Law Firm Education Law Team can help you work with your school to protect your child's rights when they're threatened by overzealous school administrators, unfair disciplinary practices and procedures, badly administered grading policies, and ineffective IEP plans. Our experienced education law attorneys will advocate on your child's behalf in a fair but persistent way with teachers, school administrators, school district personnel, and attorneys or other professionals hired by any of them. We can help level the playing field in situations where you feel like the school has all the power and your child is the victim. We can be the interface between you and school officials when direct communications don't seem to be getting the job done.
Where the Lento Law Firm Can Help
No matter where you're located in Kansas, we can help. Whether it's the more urban areas around Kansas City and Wichita, cities like Topeka and Lawrence, or places like Manhattan, Dodge City, Junction City, or other towns, the Lento Law Firm Educational Team's attorneys can advise you about how Kansas law and your local school district's policies and procedures apply to your child's particular situation.
Premier Kansas Education Attorneys
The Lento Law Firm Educational Law Team has helped families all over the US, including across Kansas. Our experienced attorneys will help you understand what your child's rights are under Kansas and federal law and will fight to protect those rights on your – and your child's – behalf. Call us today at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to set up a consultation. Your child deserves the best education possible; let us help you make sure your child receives just that.
