STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT – STUDENT EXPULSION
Students may be expelled for conduct which violates school rules. The long-term removal of a student from the school environment, including classes and activities, is an expulsion from school. It shall be within the discretion of the superintendent to recommend to the Board the expulsion of a student for disciplinary purposes. Only the Board may take action to expel a student and to readmit a student who has been expelled. A student may be expelled by the Board for a commission of gross or repeated infractions of school rules or when the presence of the student will cause interference with the maintenance of the educational environment or the operation of the school. It shall be within the discretion of the Board to discipline a student through expulsion depending on the nature of the student's offense and the circumstances surrounding the offense. The building principal shall keep records of expulsions, in addition to the Board's records.
When a student is recommended for expulsion by the superintendent, the student shall be provided with:
At the hearing, the student will have all of the rights given in the notice and may give an opening and closing statement in addition to calling witnesses and cross-examining adverse witnesses. The Board hearing the expulsion matter must be impartial (i.e. have no prior involvement in the situation, have no stake in the outcome, and have no personal bias or prejudice).
After the Board has heard the expulsion matter, it shall go into deliberations. No one who advocated a position at the hearing of the matter should be present during the Board’s deliberations unless the other party or parties are also permitted to attend deliberations. The student has a right to a decision based solely on the evidence presented at hearing. There must be an adequate factual basis for the Board’s decision. A preponderance of the evidence standard is sufficient to find the student violated the rule or policy at issue. Following the Board’s deliberations, the Board shall reconvene in open session and render its decision on the superintendent’ recommendation for expulsion. The student is entitled to a written decision setting out the Board’s findings and conclusions as to the charges and the penalty.
In addition to these procedures, a special education student will be provided with the following procedures:
[1] In some cases, information concerning a student's violation of the Code of Conduct will be gained from students who the District may want to remain anonymous. The District believes that it is critically important, in certain circumstances, to protect the anonymity of students who report serious violations of the Code of Conduct to insure that violations are reported and those who report them will not be subjected to ostracism and physical reprisals. If an expulsion is based upon evidence obtained from a student who the District believes needs to remain anonymous because they may be subjected to ostracism or physical reprisals, the administration shall undertake reasonable efforts to determine the veracity of the student's report and the student's credibility.