In the final year of high school, Jackson faced expulsion from his school district. As a senior, the stakes were high for Jackson: the expulsion threatened his ability to finish his education and to take part in the milestones that mark the end of high school—graduation among them. The circumstances that had led to the expulsion were later dismissed, but even then the district did not readmit him as its own local policy required.
Jackson’s mother reached out to Lone Star Legal Aid during the expulsion process. Meme Thomas, an attorney with LSLA’s Tyler office, advocated for homebound services so that Jackson could keep up with his coursework while the matter was unresolved, and the district agreed to provide them. Jackson stayed focused on his studies throughout this process, completing all of the credits he needed ahead of his graduation deadline.
Finishing the work, however, did not resolve the problem. Jackson was still being kept out of school activities, and the exclusion that remained after the underlying circumstances had been dismissed left him on the outside of his own senior year. His mother advocated for him persistently, asking the district either to reenroll her son or, at the very least, to let him participate in graduation alongside his classmates. Those requests went unanswered for months.
When Jackson’s mother realized she wasn’t going to a concrete response from the district, she reached out again to LSLA. Thomas stepped back in, contacting the district and its counsel to advocate on Jackson’s behalf. The district ultimately allowed Jackson to take part in the ceremony. After working so hard to complete his education despite significant obstacles, Jackson walked across the stage with his peers and celebrated the graduation that he and his mother had fought to preserve.
Jackson’s experience reflects how much can rest on a student’s right to remain in school and to be treated according to the district’s own rules. For a young person at the finish line of their education, the difference between being shut out and being allowed to continue can shape their life and future career. By advocating at each stage, from the expulsion process through graduation, Lone Star Legal Aid helped ensure that Jackson’s was not denied the education he had earned or the chance to mark its completion with his classmates.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org