My son got sent to an alternative school because a teacher claimed they saw smoke coming from his nose and mouth in the restroom. No evidence of anything on him, but his friend apparently told the school he was smoking. They ended up saying he had a nicotine pen based just on what the other kid said. On the day of the hearing, they suddenly mentioned the friend had a THC pen, but only my kid got sent to DAEP for 30 days. The friend got 10 days of ISS. Has anyone had similar issues with school discipline? I feel like he got unfairly punished here, especially since there wasn’t actual proof against him.
Sounds really unfair, especially with no actual evidence. Did they show you any proof at all, like pictures or something?
Nolan said:
Sounds really unfair, especially with no actual evidence. Did they show you any proof at all, like pictures or something?
Nope, nothing. They said they couldn’t get fingerprints or anything because the pen was ‘found in the toilet.’ Super frustrating.
Nolan said:
Sounds really unfair, especially with no actual evidence. Did they show you any proof at all, like pictures or something?
They really should have some kind of proof before making such a big decision. Have you tried escalating this to the district?
DAEP for a nicotine pen? That’s wild. I thought they only did that for more serious stuff.
Dylan said:
DAEP for a nicotine pen? That’s wild. I thought they only did that for more serious stuff.
Exactly! They claimed it’s a ‘class 3 offense’ or something under Texas Education Code. But the other kid with the THC pen only got ISS.
Dylan said:
DAEP for a nicotine pen? That’s wild. I thought they only did that for more serious stuff.
Class 3 offense sounds intense… anyone know if that actually applies to nicotine pens?
Dylan said:
DAEP for a nicotine pen? That’s wild. I thought they only did that for more serious stuff.
In some places, yeah, it can be classified like that. But still, with no real proof, that’s a stretch.
Did you try talking to the school board about this? They might be able to help if the school isn’t listening.
Marlowe said:
Did you try talking to the school board about this? They might be able to help if the school isn’t listening.
Not yet. I tried messaging the hearing officer, but she just ignores me. I might try going higher up next.
The friend admitted he had the THC pen? Then why is your son getting the harsher punishment? That doesn’t add up.
Sal said:
The friend admitted he had the THC pen? Then why is your son getting the harsher punishment? That doesn’t add up.
Right? The school keeps saying it’s up to the ‘hearing person’ who decides the punishment, but I don’t get the difference in treatment.
Sal said:
The friend admitted he had the THC pen? Then why is your son getting the harsher punishment? That doesn’t add up.
Maybe the other kid’s parents argued his case harder or something? Sometimes schools try to take the easy route.
Texas schools are pretty strict, but if they’re not even following their own rules fairly, it’s worth pushing back. Have you looked into getting a lawyer involved?
Dakota said:
Texas schools are pretty strict, but if they’re not even following their own rules fairly, it’s worth pushing back. Have you looked into getting a lawyer involved?
Thought about it, yeah. Not sure how far I’ll get, but it’s getting to the point where I might need to.
Dakota said:
Texas schools are pretty strict, but if they’re not even following their own rules fairly, it’s worth pushing back. Have you looked into getting a lawyer involved?
Good call. They might back down if they see you’re serious about this. Especially with that kind of unfair treatment.