Can a school discipline a student for something that happened last year?

So, we just found out that my son was sent an inappropriate text last January, and he shared it with a couple of friends. This didn’t happen at school or during school hours, and no one said anything about it until last week when a student brought it up in class. The school investigated and now they want to suspend him for a long time. Can they do that? I’m really worried about the school they’re sending him to… it’s so far away and has terrible reviews. Has anyone been through something like this?

Ugh, that sounds like a nightmare. It probably depends on the school’s rules. Did they say anything in the student handbook about this? Some schools will act on stuff that happened outside of school, but I don’t know how far back they can go.

@Reilly
Yeah, they said the usual punishment for sexting is expulsion, but they’re giving him a prolonged suspension instead. The problem is they want to send him to this terrible school, which is super far away and not a good environment at all.

@Reilly
That’s messed up. I had something similar happen, and I remember the school used the severity of the situation to justify the punishment. Maybe check to see if there’s a statute of limitations on school discipline in your state?

That’s crazy. I don’t get why they’re disciplining him for something that happened so long ago. Did they give you a clear reason for why they’re punishing him now?

Bailey said:
That’s crazy. I don’t get why they’re disciplining him for something that happened so long ago. Did they give you a clear reason for why they’re punishing him now?

They said it’s because of the nature of the offense. But it still feels unfair to me that it took them this long to do something about it.

If it happened so long ago, they may be breaking some rules. It’s worth looking into how long they can wait before taking action. The more serious the offense, the more they might be allowed to act though.

@Mary
That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I don’t understand why they’re acting now, especially since no one reported it until now.

Have you checked your state laws? I had a friend who went through something similar, and their lawyer told them that schools can act according to their own rules, but they need to follow due process. So the student gets the chance to appeal, which is good. You should definitely push for a better outcome at the appeal hearing.

@Abi
Yeah, we’ve submitted an appeal already. There’s a hearing coming up next week, so we’re hoping it all works out.

In Louisiana, I don’t think there’s a statute of limitations for school discipline. That might be why they’re still trying to punish him. You might want to consult an education lawyer who specializes in school law to help you with the appeal.

@Dylan
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely try to find a lawyer who can help us with the appeal process.