Each school district in Texas has measures for disciplining students. At times, that discipline can harm, rather than help, a student who may or may not need corrective measures. Removing a student from their high school, middle school, or elementary school and placing them in an unfamiliar environment, known as a disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP), is often one of those harmful types of discipline.
Students in the Sherman, TX, Independent School District (ISD) are vulnerable to being assigned to a DAEP, or even worse outcomes. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team makes students our priority, and we will work hard to help your student avoid the perils that often come with alternative schooling.
Your student's wellbeing, reputation, future academic opportunities, and quality of life are too important to leave in the hands of the Sherman ISD. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to find out how we will fight for a positive resolution that best serves your student.
Why Students May Face Placement in a DAEP in Sherman
Texas law dictates some aspects of how schools in Sherman handle discipline. For instance, state statutes dictate that certain offenses require mandatory placement in a DAEP, and those offenses include:
- Aggravated robbery
- Indecent exposure and certain other lewd actions
- Sexual abuse
- Harassment of a school employee
- Terroristic threats and other false alarms
- Certain drug offenses
- Certain types of assault
Parents and guardians might think that, if their student is found responsible for one of these offenses, they are destined for DAEP. This is not necessarily the case.
Allow an attorney from the Lento Law Firm to speak with your student, evaluate the circumstances for which they are facing discipline, and seek any resolution that would be better for the student than relocation to a new, discipline-focused program.
Many DAEP-Eligible Offenses Require an Administrator to Make a Judgment Call
Discretionary placement refers to cases where school administrators have a choice. They must decide whether a student should be placed in a DAEP or whether there is a more appropriate resolution. We advocate for students in these circumstances, which can arise from allegations of:
- Criminal mischief
- Bullying, specifically when it leads a victim to harm themselves
- Gang affiliations or activity
- Inciting violence against another student
- Disseminating or threatening to disseminate sensitive photographs or videos of a minor (which can include a fellow student)
- Certain off-campus behavior
Decision makers who oversee student discipline must seek the resolution that is best for the student. While they must protect other students, too, they should be compassionate towards the student who is facing discipline
How the Campus Behavior Coordinator (CBC) Leads the DAEP Process in Sherman
When students face potential DAEP placement in Sherman ISD, a campus behavior coordinator coordinates and oversees the process. The CBC is designated by each school and can be a principal or another administrator. The Lento Law Firm Team will become familiar with this individual.
The process the CBC oversees generally goes as follows:
- First, the student is removed from their regular classroom setting because they're accused of committing a DAEP offense
- Next, the CBC or an “appropriate administrator” schedules a conference to take place within three days of the time that the student is removed from their classroom
- At the conference, the student and their representative (generally a parent or guardian) hear why the student was removed and why the school believes the removal was justified
- The student and their guardian then have the opportunity to ask questions, respond to the allegations of wrongdoing and the administrators' justification for removal, and voice their concerns
- If the CBC or other administrators choose to proceed, they then write a placement order, which should come within days of the conference
Appeals are a critical step in the DAEP assignment process. Parents and guardians have the right to protest the decision to assign their student to a DAEP, and you must take full advantage of that right. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team will lead the appeals process—and every other aspect of your student's advocacy—with urgency and the utmost professionalism.
What Students Facing DAEP in Sherman Can Expect
Our goal is to ensure your student is not subject to the DAEP experience. In order to understand the stakes of the fight ahead, it may help to know some facts about the DAEP experience in the Sherman ISD:
- Those who are assigned to DAEP in Sherman must go to school at the Dillingham Middle School building at 2701 N Loy Lake Rd, which may be an unfamiliar, ill-suited setting for the student who is used to their home school
- The stated goal of Sherman's DAEP program is “to modify student behavior,” which is markedly different from the goal of regular school (which is to educate students and prepare them to pursue their goals and dreams after graduation)
- While students receive academic instruction, DAEP environments can be more hectic, less productive, and less socially healthy than your student's current environment may be
It's important to emphasize that students transferred from their familiar learning environments into DAEP programs may struggle immensely with the unfamiliarity. Our team knows that better options than DAEP assignment are out there, and we are determined to find the right option for your student.
Students who attend Sherman High School, Jefferson Learning Center, Piner Middle School, Sherman Middle School, Crutchfield Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Dillingham Elementary, Neblett Elementary, Sory Elementary, Wakefield Elementary, or any other school within Sherman ISD can be subject to these conditions.
Again, we must emphasize the importance of having our Student Defense Team fight to spare your student from the harm that a DAEP assignment can cause. We understand what is at stake—nothing short of your child's immediate quality of life, long-term ambitions, and good name.
Understanding the True Cost of Assignment to Sherman's DAEP Program
Campus behavior coordinators and others who recommend (or even mandate) a student to be assigned to a DAEP may paint the decision as a positive development. What they do not typically tell the student and parent is that:
- Many students respond poorly to being removed from their school, as students who are already struggling often suffer worsening psychological and emotional health as a consequence of being taken away from their friends, teachers, and familiar environments
- A student may encounter other students in a DAEP who prove to be poor influences, as these programs exist for students who have been branded as “problems,” and some of the students in these programs may truly be poor influences on those who would be better suited to a normal school environment
- DAEPs can cause significant stigma for students placed in them, which can affect them socially, even if and when they return to a traditional school
- Dropout rates rise among students placed in DAEPs, which is one of the most alarming facts about DAEP programs—if the point of a DAEP is to correct a student's behavior and set them up for success, this statistic is a damning indictment
- Education is often secondary in DAEPs, as your student may be lumped into a group of students who have severe behavioral issues and distract the class from focusing on academics
Young people make mistakes. Not every mistake, or even series of mistakes, warrants placement in a DAEP. While these programs can serve an important purpose, that purpose may not apply to your student.
The Lento Law Firm Team uses our resources, familiarity with the DAEP placement process, negotiation training and experience, and relationships with administrators to help students avoid DAEP placement in Texas. Let us assist your student in getting past this hurdle and continuing toward the future they deserve.
How the Lento Law Firm Team Will Assist You and Your Student in the Face of Potential DAEP Placement in Sherman
While the DAEP placement process is not especially long, it comes with high stakes. In fact, because the process is relatively short (consisting of only a conference, decision, and potential appeal), each step in that process becomes even more critical.
Our team will immediately begin assisting you and your student, and our role in the DAEP process often involves:
- Reaching out to the CBC, superintendent, and other administrators involved in the DAEP placement process, hoping to get those relationships on a strong footing so we can work productively towards a resolution
- Formulating a comprehensive case for why DAEP placement is not the right option for your student, even if it may be the right move for other students in Sherman
- Gathering any character testimonials and other supporting materials that could make your student's case more compelling
- Accompanying you and your student to all meetings, appointments, and hearings related to the DAEP placement process
- Proposing any resolutions we have identified as potentially beneficial for your student
- Handling the appeals process if administrators make the wrong initial decision
There is immense value in having the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team on your student's side. Our clients feel more at ease during a difficult process because they know we are fighting for their best interests. You and your student should also be better able to resume their lives (as normally as possible) because we are handling the DAEP placement process.
We Also Help Students Facing Potential Expulsion or Placement in a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP)
DAEPs are one of a few disciplinary measures that can do more harm than good for the students being disciplined. Expulsion and placement in JJAEPs are, in many cases, even more damaging for the student than placement in a DAEP.
If your student is facing the prospect of expulsion or placement in a JJAEP, reach out to us as soon as possible. JJAEPs bring students into contact with the juvenile justice system, while expulsion is a punishment that can derail the completion of high school, college admission, and the goals that graduation from high school and college can lead to.
Why the Lento Law Firm Is the Team to Trust with Your Student's Defense in Sherman
Students deserve advocates they can trust without question. That's not typically what they get from school administrators, but they find trustworthy representation from the Lento Law Firm. Allow us to represent your student because:
- We are near Sherman: The Lento Law Firm has an office in Dallas, and we are always willing to travel to our clients to make this process as painless and convenient as possible. Law firms you see on billboards often offer impersonal representation. Our in-person brand of assistance is much needed, as it allows us to interact directly with your student and the administrators who have so much influence over your student's future.
- Student defense is what we do: Our team has accumulated years of experience in student defense. This experience makes us confident when negotiating with school administrators. The DAEP placement and appeals process can be complicated, but our extensive history helping students through this process simplifies it for us (and for those we represent).
- We will tailor our approach to your student: Your student's story is unique. The challenges they've faced and the issues they have experienced are theirs and theirs alone. We will get to know your student so we can effectively argue for the resolution that's best for them.
Mitigating factors are critical in how CBCs make DAEP placement decisions. If your student is disabled or faces other circumstances that affect their behavior, these are facts we will bring to the attention of those who control DAEP placement.
Call the Lento Law Firm Today About How We Will Guide Your Student Through the DAEP Placement Process in Sherman
Students who are identified by Sherman ISD as “difficult to handle” can feel stigmatized. Their parents and guardians can also struggle when their student is excluded from their peers and faced with DAEP placement. You are not alone. The Lento Law Firm is here to help.
Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online. Find out how our personalized representation and experience with the DAEP placement process can benefit your student.
