suspension from school

You should take this time off to evaluate your status as a student. If you truly want to finish college and get a degree and be a productive member of society, stop cheating and get your degree the old fashion way - by studying.

You should think about whether the allegation is true. If you have a defense, you will want to obtain a copy of the school discipline policy and determine if there is an opportunity to contest the facts of the offense.

If you have no defense to the facts of the offense, you might want to review academic integrity offense policy and decisions to see if a two semester suspension is reasonable and usual for a second academic integrity offense. If prior decisions make the two term suspension seem harsh or unusual, figure out how to seek leniency from the discipline review board.

In either of the above scenarios you need to act quickly. Many school discipline policies have very short deadlines for requesting review.

If you were not copying and you have reason to believe that you may have been singled out for some discriminatory reason, you should contact a civil rights attorney.

If none of the above applies, then consider Attorney Cheong's suggestion.

You need to decide whether you wish to challenge this and find out the consequences are if you are found to have violated the school code. Colleges and universities have their own judicial process. You need to review the school handbook and disciplinary rules, including the hearing process. If you wish to have an attorney, check whether their process will allow you to have counsel with you. As long as the school follows its own process, these hearings are generally not reviewable by Massachusetts or federal courts.