August 2007 – Case Opened
November 2007 – Case resolved
Until July 2008 – Case monitored
Case closed

YELP successfully represented a 16-year old student, M.H., who was suspended and later expelled from her high school because of heated comments made during an altercation with another student. M.H. and her mother tried to appeal the expulsion, but were unrepresented by counsel, and the appeal was denied. M.H., an academically strong student with an extensive social network at her high school, was excluded from classes and high school functions for a full academic year. Clinic students Brad Chernin (‘09) and Bola Olupona (‘09) researched the student’s legal options, including the possibility of filing a writ in state court. They counseled M.H. and advised her of her options, respecting her desire to return to her high school at the completion of her expulsion and negotiated directly with school administrators to develop a re-entry plan for her. The clinic students’ strategy proved to be creative and flexible, and they crafted an agreement that was acceptable to both the school and M.H., who successfully completed the terms of her readmission agreement, and returned to her high school for the last half of her senior year.