When is a ten day suspension from school not a ten day suspension? When the second letter arrives saying that a student has also now been recommended for expulsion and there will be a series of hearings before a final decision is made. Parents and students are often confused by school administrative procedures when a student is recommended for expulsion for violation of school regulations.
The school principal starts the process with the initial suspension for ten school days. Expulsion infractions are listed in the Student Code of Conduct regulations which are delivered to each student and parent at the beginning of the school year. In Virginia, a first offense of possessing an illegal drug on school property requires the principal to recommend expulsion. Expulsion is defined as exclusion from all public school programs for 365 days. Only the local School Board can expel a student and most cases are resolved through an alternative discipline plan developed at an intermediate administrative level.
When the administrative process begins for a case of potential expulsion, it is not unusual for students to remain home for 30-45 days until a final decision is made. We have seen cases where students have been out of school over three months, waiting for a final ruling in a discipline case. Basic due process considerations require a reasonably expedited process for determining the ultimate decision in these cases. When this doesn’t happen it is fundamentally unfair, and seriously undermines the goals of correcting student behavior. Long delays also impair future sustainable relationships between schools and parents.
Having children excluded from educational services and sitting home for months awaiting lengthy school administrative procedures does damage and teaches nothing. Parents cannot pick up the slack and when parents are working outside of the home, the child is left to fend for himself – not a good alternative for parent or child. Parents can’t collaborate with teachers and administrators for positive change because they are struggling to get school work delivered for the child to complete at home.
For years, school discipline policies have developed a culture of exclusion. Excluding children from school for long periods of time for administrative convenience is a destructive and counterproductive approach to the real problems of correcting school behavior. We need to advocate for a better way.
