Waterbury judge rules student can return to school following expulsion over assignment

A Waterbury student whose attorney argues was wrongfully expelled after submitting a controversial English assignment will be allowed to return to his original school starting Monday, following a judge’s ruling Friday in an ongoing legal dispute with the school district.

The case stems from an incident in December when the student, identified in court documents as L.J., was expelled from the Waterbury Career Academy.

School officials said the student submitted a written assignment that they believed posed a threat to a teacher and the school principal.

Since the expulsion, the student had been attending John F. Kennedy High School.

A judge ruled Friday that L.J. may return to Waterbury Career Academy while the case continues.

The ruling also requires the Waterbury school district to determine within two weeks whether it will pursue a formal expulsion hearing.

According to court documents, the student’s mother said the assignment was part of a class exercise in which students were asked to write a short thriller exploring the theme of imagination overcoming reason.

She stated that the teacher approved L.J.’s draft before submission and argued that the work should not have led to suspension or expulsion.

However, documents filed by the Waterbury Board of Education say the assignment was intended to focus on a scenario in which “someone’s imagination leads them to misperceive reality.” The district said L.J. instead wrote a lengthy horror story in which he kills his teacher and the school principal.

Jeff Forte, an attorney with Forte Law Group representing the student, said the court’s decision allows the case to move forward while restoring the student’s access to the school he originally applied to attend.

“The court moved the case forward,” Forte said after Friday’s hearing. “I think there were good processes that advanced the case today.”

Forte said the ruling is significant because it allows the student to return to the academy’s specialized programs.

“It’s wonderful that he’s able to go back to his school, which he applied and was accepted to,” Forte said. “Career Academy has a manufacturing track, so he’ll be able to have access to that again starting Monday.”

The judge also said he would make the final determination if the district decides to pursue an expulsion hearing.

“It’s up to the district whether they want to move forward with an actual expulsion proceeding or not,” Forte said. “We’ll wait to hear from them.”

Waterbury Public Schools Superintendent Darren Schwartz attended Friday’s hearing but declined to comment on the case.

The legal challenge remains ongoing. If the district chooses to move forward with an expulsion hearing, the court will ultimately decide whether the expulsion should stand.

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