It depends. For certain violent offenses like aggravated sexual assault or aggravated robbery, removal is mandatory, and the school is required to remove your child from their school. Your child’s school may say that removal is required or mandatory for all off-campus arrests. However, if your child is arrested off campus for a misdemeanor or a nonviolent felony, the school cannot punish your child unless the school can prove that your child’s presence at school threatens the safety of others or is detrimental to the educational process. If your child’s school is trying to punish your child for an off-campus arrest for a misdemeanor or a nonviolent felony, an attorney who specializes in school law may be able to help. If you do not want to hire an attorney, you can file a grievance under FNG (LOCAL), the grievance process for students and parents. Learn more about the grievance process on the Texas Appleseed website here or the Texas Education Agency (TEA) site here.