School Is for Learning—Not Fame, Fights, or Felonies: What Queens Parents Need to Drill Into Their Kids
Every year around this time, I see the same pattern. School starts. Kids go back to class. And within weeks, my phone rings—parents panicked because their son or daughter was arrested at school, suspended, or facing charges for something that, in their words, “just got out of hand.”
Let me be blunt: school is not a stage, a social experiment, or a soapbox. It’s a place to show up, shut up, learn something, and come home a little wiser than you were that morning. That’s the deal. That’s the job. And if your child doesn’t treat it that way, the consequences aren’t just detention anymore.
I Don’t Want Your Kid in My Office
As a criminal defense lawyer in Queens, I make my living defending people accused of crimes. But let me tell you—I don’t want to meet your child in my office. Not at 15. Not for a school fight, a vape pen, a TikTok prank, or because they were in the wrong group at the wrong time.
And yes—being there is often enough. You don’t need to throw the punch. If you stood around and filmed it, encouraged it, or even posted about it later, congratulations: you might now be part of a criminal investigation.
Some of the most preventable cases I’ve handled started with a kid who simply didn’t leave the room when trouble started. They didn’t throw a punch or shout a threat—but they stood there, laughed, pulled out a phone. And in today’s zero-tolerance environment, that’s often all it takes.
Viral Fame Is Not Worth a Permanent Record
You want to go viral? Post a trick shot. Bake something cool. Do a backflip.
But if your child goes to school and thinks starting chaos is the next big opportunity for online attention, they’re not just risking suspension—they’re risking a record. And when that record follows them into adulthood, it affects scholarships, jobs, leases, licenses, and more.
Real example?
Last year, I defended a high school junior in Queens caught holding the phone during a hallway brawl. He wasn’t involved—he didn’t throw a punch. But when the school handed over surveillance and social media clips to the NYPD, his phone became evidence. He was charged. That case haunted him for months.
All because he wanted content.
And it’s not just fights. Kids record teachers, vandalize property, or start TikTok trends on school grounds. They think it’s funny. But when those videos make the rounds, administrators don’t laugh—and prosecutors definitely don’t.
Schools Have Changed—So Should Your Conversations at Home
When many of us grew up, you got in trouble, maybe your parents yelled, maybe the school called home. Now?
- School security refers cases directly to precincts
- Resource officers are trained to treat disturbances as criminal incidents
- Students are mirandized in hallways
- Social media is mined for evidence within hours
Your child doesn’t need to “mean harm” to get into serious trouble. They just need to be in the wrong place, holding the wrong phone, laughing at the wrong moment.
That’s why your message to your kids has to be unambiguous: School is for learning—not performance.
I Know They’re Teenagers—But the System Doesn’t Care
I hear it all the time:
- “They’re just being teenagers.”
- “They didn’t know any better.”
- “They weren’t trying to hurt anyone.”
All valid. All human. But the system doesn’t care.
Prosecutors don’t grade on a curve because your child is 16. Judges don’t say, “Oh, you were trying to be funny? Never mind.”
And if your child is 16 or older in New York? They can be charged as an adult for many crimes. That includes assault, weapons possession, harassment, theft, and more.
Let’s not forget: schools are considered “sensitive areas.” Certain offenses committed on or near school property carry elevated consequences, even if the same behavior elsewhere might be handled differently.
What You Need to Drill In Before It’s Too Late
Here’s what I suggest every parent in Queens tell their child at the start of the school year:
- Keep your head down and your phone away unless you’re using it for schoolwork.
- If a fight starts—walk away. Immediately. If you film it, you’re part of it.
- Don’t touch anything illegal. No vapes, pills, weed pens, alcohol. Even if it’s “just one hit.”
- Don’t carry anything for anyone else. Not their bag. Not their vape. Not their secret.
- Know your rights—but don’t test them for fun. The back of a squad car is not where you want to learn the law.
- Don’t joke about violence. Threats—even jokes—can and do lead to real charges.
- Respect teachers and staff. Disrespect may not land you in jail, but it sets the stage for everything else to go wrong.
What I Do When the Line’s Already Been Crossed
If your kid makes a mistake—and they will, because all kids do—get them help fast. A criminal defense lawyer in Queens who knows the local schools, judges, precincts, and prosecutors can make a world of difference.
I’ve gotten first-time offenders into diversion programs. I’ve gotten charges dropped. I’ve kept kids in school who were on the edge of being expelled. But the earlier I’m brought in, the better chance we have to prevent a mistake from becoming a sentence.
It’s not just about avoiding jail. It’s about keeping their record clean, their school enrollment safe, and their future intact.
Sometimes it means negotiating with prosecutors. Other times it means working directly with school administrators. In some cases, it means rebuilding a narrative: showing that the kid made a mistake, but they’re not a criminal.
Final Word: They Don’t Have to Be Perfect—But They Need to Be Smart
I’m not asking your kids to be saints. I’m asking them to use common sense.
Don’t treat school like a battleground, or a stage, or an audition for clout. Treat it like an opportunity—because once the law gets involved, that opportunity narrows.
If your child is already facing charges in school or anywhere in Queens, don’t wait. Call my office. We’ll walk through what happened, how to respond, and what we can do to protect their future.
But let’s be real: I’d rather they never need me at all.
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