What is the name of your state? Missouri
Here's the situation.
At the beginning of the school year, my son was a discipline problem. We had some issues with drugs and hanging with the wrong crowd. Long story short, he served in-school suspensions for tardies, falling asleep in class, and having his cell phone in class. He also served a couple of out school suspensions, one 10-day suspension from coming to a football game under the influence and another one-day out of school suspension for having too many in-school suspensions.
However, since December my son has made a complete turn around. He has brought his grades up and has been paying attention in class, etc. He has stayed out of trouble up until last week. A classmate of his, a boy that repeatedly stirs up trouble, mouths off to everybody, basically this boy sent a message to my nephew on MySpace saying he was going to slit his throat. This was all over a girl. My son was not involved in any of this until my nephew, who is like a brother to my son, told him about the threat. My son then told this boy that if he tried to touch my nephew he would kick is butt. This was all done off school grounds.
This boy, the troublemaker, went to school the following day and proceeded to tell the principal that my son had threatened to beat him up at school. My son was pulled out of class by the principal and confronted about this. My son defended himself and said he never intended to do anything to this boy. He told them this boy threatened to slit my nephew's throat and that is what caused this whole situation.
The principal let me son go back to class. My son was angry and because he has ADHD and has an impulse control problem, he proceeded to say something nasty about the boy -- foul language was used. Of course, this got back to the principal who then suspended my son for three days and said he was going to recommend my son be expelled because of all his issues from the beginning of the year.
When asked what they were doing about the death threat the other boy made, I was told that they could not discuss it with me. However, the boy has not been suspended, expelled, or even discplined in anyway. The threat was not reported to the police by the principal which I thought by law they are required to do. This boy is receiving preferential treatment because his father died in October and they are letting him get by with a lot.
This same boy approached my son's girlfriend at school yesterday and called her a f--ing whore and said he hopes she drops dead. She went to the principal to report him and was told by the principal "I'm tired of dealing with you guys and I'm not going to do it today."
So I'm really upset. I want to know what my legal standing is here. I cannot have my 15 year old son expelled from school. He needs to be in school. I feel he is being unjustly expelled. I have told the superintendent and the principal that I fully accept the three-day out of school suspension for my son's actions, but that they should consider what led up to my son saying what he did. I also feel that they should be addressing this very serious threat this boy made against my nephew especially in light of all the school shootings and violence happening everyday. And yet, they are sweeping it under the carpet. I have half a mind to contact the media about this. But before I do anything like that, I want to know if I should get an attorney and what happens next.
Thanks!
Here's the situation.
At the beginning of the school year, my son was a discipline problem. We had some issues with drugs and hanging with the wrong crowd. Long story short, he served in-school suspensions for tardies, falling asleep in class, and having his cell phone in class. He also served a couple of out school suspensions, one 10-day suspension from coming to a football game under the influence and another one-day out of school suspension for having too many in-school suspensions.
However, since December my son has made a complete turn around. He has brought his grades up and has been paying attention in class, etc. He has stayed out of trouble up until last week. A classmate of his, a boy that repeatedly stirs up trouble, mouths off to everybody, basically this boy sent a message to my nephew on MySpace saying he was going to slit his throat. This was all over a girl. My son was not involved in any of this until my nephew, who is like a brother to my son, told him about the threat. My son then told this boy that if he tried to touch my nephew he would kick is butt. This was all done off school grounds.
This boy, the troublemaker, went to school the following day and proceeded to tell the principal that my son had threatened to beat him up at school. My son was pulled out of class by the principal and confronted about this. My son defended himself and said he never intended to do anything to this boy. He told them this boy threatened to slit my nephew's throat and that is what caused this whole situation.
The principal let me son go back to class. My son was angry and because he has ADHD and has an impulse control problem, he proceeded to say something nasty about the boy -- foul language was used. Of course, this got back to the principal who then suspended my son for three days and said he was going to recommend my son be expelled because of all his issues from the beginning of the year.
When asked what they were doing about the death threat the other boy made, I was told that they could not discuss it with me. However, the boy has not been suspended, expelled, or even discplined in anyway. The threat was not reported to the police by the principal which I thought by law they are required to do. This boy is receiving preferential treatment because his father died in October and they are letting him get by with a lot.
This same boy approached my son's girlfriend at school yesterday and called her a f--ing whore and said he hopes she drops dead. She went to the principal to report him and was told by the principal "I'm tired of dealing with you guys and I'm not going to do it today."
So I'm really upset. I want to know what my legal standing is here. I cannot have my 15 year old son expelled from school. He needs to be in school. I feel he is being unjustly expelled. I have told the superintendent and the principal that I fully accept the three-day out of school suspension for my son's actions, but that they should consider what led up to my son saying what he did. I also feel that they should be addressing this very serious threat this boy made against my nephew especially in light of all the school shootings and violence happening everyday. And yet, they are sweeping it under the carpet. I have half a mind to contact the media about this. But before I do anything like that, I want to know if I should get an attorney and what happens next.
Thanks!