By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 What happens if a student is denied denied the right to walk at their commencement exercise (aka graduation ceremony)? Do students have a legal right to walk at graduation if they met all school graduation requirements? Phone Call from School:
We are raised not to lie, right? Parents tell kids to “never lie!” “Always tell the truth.” So we are honest. Why, then, do SCHOOL officials LIE to parents? Students are told not to lie, so why aren’t school administrators honest with us, the parents of those kids? Yes, Schools
School discipline can be imposed even if a student is innocent. When a student is up for school punishment, such as suspension or expulsion, everyone presumes they “did it.” But, what if the student did not? Why do schools suspend innocent students? Heavy Reliance on Student Statements School discipline depends
Parents have rights regarding their children’s sexual education. Whether to let a school instruct a student in sex ed is up to the family. Sexual Education Has Changed Do you remember your sex education classes in school? I do. I had a single one in the eighth grade. My sex
CIF, the California Interscholastic Federation, which governs all high school sports in California, is often mystical. Many of CIF’s rules, such as its transfer rules, are completely confusing. When a student athlete is denied the right to play sports for some reason, the immediate and correct instinct is to file
Have you reapplied for an interdistrict (between two school districts) transfer and been denied? California schools are holding tight to their students due to monetary and other considerations. Do parents have to reapply if a student is already on an approved interdistrict transfer agreement? Maybe yes, maybe no– it depends.
Many parents envision school expulsion hearings are mini-trials where a student has full rights to object and exclude things, like in regular court. However, public school expulsion hearings, governed by administrative law (the law relating to government agencies), have different rules from traditional courts. There are some parameters for the expulsion process,
What school district a student is a legal “resident” of for school attendance purposes is usually a simple matter isn’t it? Where does one live and what does the online map say? It is not always so easy. Sometimes school residency and where a student can attend can become a
Michelle Ball is a Sacramento student attorney who assists parents and students with dress code and uniform issues and opt outs, discrimination problems, expulsions, special education and many more school issues. As an education lawyer, Michelle Ball helps families throughout California, including in Stockton, Tahoe, Redding, Sausalito, Santa Barbara, Fresno
Ultimately, parents ALWAYS had the choice of whether to send their kids to in-person school or not, ever prior to Coronavirus. Parents can enroll their kids in independent study, put them in a free charter school, create a private home school, or have students attend classes in the community part
This blog contains legal information not legal advice. Any information on this site or in any article/blog may not reflect the current state of the law. No attorney client relationship is formed by reading information on this site. The Law Office of Michelle Ball operates solely in California, USA and information on this site may not be valid outside California. Full disclaimers can be found here and should be reviewed in full.
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