A private school suspension can have far-reaching consequences. A suspended student won’t be able to go to school for a while, resulting in missed work and a negative mark on their records. If your child has been suspended for academic misconduct, you might be wondering if you can appeal or have the suspension removed from their record. An education lawyer can guide you through this process, ensuring you follow school procedures.
School Policies Have a Say on Suspension Removal
Public school students have no right to appeal a suspension; however, school districts may set up procedures for appealing school discipline or consider removal when some issues exist. Similarly, private schools have no legal obligation to change, remove, or expunge a suspension of a student unless they have an appeal process in place. If your child’s school has this process, you may follow this and argue that the discipline was not supported and must be removed.
Making Your Own Appeal
If your child’s private school has no policy that lets them appeal a suspension, you may try to contact the school’s principal or dean and make an appeal. You can bring forward facts that show the offense that resulted in the suspension never happened or wasn’t what the school thought.
When you approach private school staff when making an appeal, ensure you do it professionally and respectfully. Usually, the staff has plenty of power over students, their continued enrollment, and punishment. You must know that private school contracts can include a provision that allows the school to dismiss a student whose parents act poorly. Thus, you must approach school staff with composure and caution.
What If a Suspension Can’t be Removed?
If your child’s school doesn’t agree to remove the suspension of your child, you can negotiate this in the future, when specific conditions exist. There may be conditions that surround a suspended student reducing their suspension days, doing some actions, or reaching a particular milestone. As long as the private school is open to this, you can always negotiate these possibilities.
How an Education Attorney Can Help
If you believe your child’s private school wrongfully suspended them, a lawyer can help fight the school suspension and get it removed from the student’s record. When you pick an education attorney, remember that some of them focus on representing teachers, administrators, or schools. Thus, you must hire a lawyer with extensive experience representing students and parents.