An elementary school in Southwest Ohio had suspicions of an alleged wrongdoing by one of their 6-year-old students, so they decided to question the boy directly before contacting his parents. The child was apart of a bullying investigation, and he was the alleged bully; accused of shoving another student. Once the school had completed their investigation, the mother was then notified, in accordance with the schools’ policy.
According to the school district’s policy, the school must first determine that the case is an actual situation of bullying, then notify the parents under state law. In a letter that was requested by the mother of the accused to her son’s teacher, they had apparently ‘dropped the ball’ on letting her know that alleged bullying had occurred. Due to this policy and staff tendencies, most parents are left in the dark and kept unaware that their child is being questioned alone by their school’s officer.
The school’s district had approved for the position of bullying/harassment officer be created in order to handle matters involving bullying/harassment in a conducive effective manner. Incidents do occur unfortunately, and under the school’s policy; the situation must first be branded as bullying, leaving a lot of gray area for the officer to question the student in whatever manner they deem fit, and also for when the appropriate time is to notify the child’s parents.
This poses a very important question, does the need for representation change just because you are a minor? In our legal system, every person has the constitutional right to representation no matter their age. In the eyes of the school, the teacher and staff had done nothing wrong. To the parents of the children being questioned by themselves, they feel they let down their child, not being there for them. Once allegations are made against anyone, that person is entitled to a fair defense, and to be represented when question, regardless of the circumstances.
The attorney’s at Bleile & Dawson are extremely knowledgeable in criminal law, especially when it comes to defending our clients against wrongful accusations, whether in the State of Ohio or the Commonwealth of Kentucky. If you feel that you have wrongly been accused of a crime and seek to find the best possible representation to fight for you, hire a law firm that puts the client first and fights hard to protect the client. Contact us today for a completely confidential consultation at 513-564-0088.