Has your child been recommended by expulsion? We offer expulsion defense services for students located in Lexington, Columbia, and surrounding areas. Attorney James R. Snell, Jr., has represented hundreds of area students in school district expulsion hearings.
Due to many reasons, including zero-tolerance policies, we are seeing many students who are recommended for expulsion. If the expulsion recommendation is upheld it means that the student will no longer be allowed to attend school. Additionally, expulsions are placed on the student’s school file.
Although there is no definitive list of situations we have seen where students are recommended for expulsion, the most common seem to be:
- Online threats or online posts (including posts made to social media)
- Possession or distribution of vapes, gummies, or other substances
- Drug or Alcohol possession or intoxication
- Fighting
- Sexual Harassment
If you have been told or received paperwork indicating your child has been recommended for expulsion it’s important to act quickly. The first step is to contact our office for a free consultation with an attorney. During that appointment you will have a chance to explain your child’s situation, and ask any questions you may have. The attorney will be able to describe for you your rights to challenge the expulsion, including how area districts conduct hearings or appeals.
Once we are hired we will immediately notify the school district, and request a hearing to fully challenge the expulsion recommendation. We also will recommend the expulsion package, which contains the written materials that the school provides to be considered by the district hearing officer. We will meet with your child to help them prepare for the hearing, including helping the prepare for the types of questions that the district hearing officer may ask.
At a school expulsion hearing there are two important considerations made by the district hearing officer. The first is whether a school rule was violated. If no rule was determined to be violated, we would request that the expulsion recommendation be dismissed, and your child immediately be allowed to return to school. If the hearing officer determines that a rule was violated, this still can result in a range of possible outcomes short of expulsion.
We regularly defend expulsion cases from all area schools, including:
- River Bluff High School
- Lexington High School
- Dutch Fork High School
- White Knoll High School
- White Knoll Middle School
- Beechwood Middle School
- Pleasant Hill Middle School
Last year we even saw an increase in the number of elementary school students we represented. We represent students in all area districts, including Lexington One, Lexington Two, Lexington Three, Lexington and Richland Four, Richland One and Richland Two. We're hear to help your child and family achieve the most positive outcome possible from an expulsion situation. Contact us today for a free consultation.