A California father expressed outrage online, accusing his son’s school of suspending him over his Tourette’s syndrome. The dad explained the situation on r/legaladvice under the burner account Sea_Life_108, with claims that his son is “a completely normal, successful high school student” but sometimes struggles socially due to his disorder. What warranted the son’s suspension, however, was a verbal tic he yelled at a woman during an end-of-the-year presentation.
For context, Sea_Life_108 said his son said the ‘b word,’ which the school labeled as a slur that goes against policy. Of course, the son quickly apologized for what he said, but the school still took action and suspended him. The dad claimed he tried his best to talk things through with the staff, but they were “adamant that, according to school code, it was grounds for a one-day suspension.”
“I am furious that they punished him over something he literally has no control over,” Sea_Life_108 angrily wrote. While he didn’t respond to any of the comments, several commenters felt the school might have been in the wrong morally, but not legally. As one commenter pointed out, the suspension wouldn’t be legal had the son been removed for more than 10 consecutive days. “The school sucks but it is legal at this point,” the user explained.
Redditors Worry this Situation Could Negatively Affect the Son’s Anxiety and Possibly His Future College Opportunities
Another user added how this suspension could give the son anxiety, which can “heavily impact a person and exacerbate symptoms.” Simply put, his symptoms with Tourette’s syndrome could worsen if he’s under pressure from this situation. It might not affect the son’s records, but Redditors have reason to believe that his disorder could worsen if this isn’t handled properly.
Several others asked Sea_Life_108 about having an IEP or a 504 plan, to which the father has yet to respond. It’s all very unfortunate since the son really didn’t mean to say the slur, and the dad feels as though the day of suspension isn’t a huge deal since he wasn’t planning to attend on said day.
But as one commenter warns, “Even if he was not planning to go to school that day anyway, don’t take this lightly. The suspension will appear on his school record when applying for college.” Fortunately, California Code EDC § 48911 entitles the son to a hearing, which might give the dad a chance to change the school’s mind if an experienced lawyer gets involved.
