STUDENT SUSPENSION/EXPULSION PROCEDURES

Students may be suspended from attendance at school on authority of the building principal or the superintendent. In the judgement of the administration, expulsions shall be imposed only for instances of serious misbehavior that warrants a severe punishment.

There are two levels of disciplinary infractions that could result in school expulsion. One level would be "repeated disciplinary problems." A secondary level would be the occurrence of a "major disciplinary infraction."

Level 1 – Repeated Disciplinary Infractions

A school principal has the authority to hold a student expulsion hearing and recommend that a student be expelled from school. The results of a principal’s expulsion hearing may be appealed to the school superintendent upon request.

Upon the third or subsequent suspension from school, the principal will report in writing the status of a student’s disciplinary situation to the school superintendent. Included in this report is a recommendation that a superintendent’s level hearing must be held immediately or will be held upon the fourth disciplinary infraction.

With the written consent of parents, all parties can waive the principal’s hearing level and proceed directly to the school superintendent’s level.

When either a principal’s or superintendent’s level hearing is held, the Gardner School Committee will be apprised that an expulsion hearing is convened as well as the final results of the hearing.

At the conclusion of the hearing, a student will be deemed to either:

Permanently expelled from school.

Found to be acceptable for regular school attendance.

Allowed to continue in school with carefully delineated written requirements.

The superintendent’s level disciplinary hearing is considered the terminal point of the student appeal process.

Level 2 – Major Disciplinary Infraction

Students previously expelled from another school system seeking admission to Gardner Public Schools will not be accepted for local admission.

"Any student who is found on school premises or at school-sponsored or school-related events, including athletic games, in possession of a dangerous weapon, including, but not limited to, a gun or knife; or a controlled substance as defined in chapter 94c, including, but not limited to, marijuana, cocaine and heroin, may be subject to expulsion from the school or school district by the principal.

Any student who assaults a principal, assistant principal, dean, teacher, teacher’s aide or other educational staff on school premises or at school-sponsored or school-related events, including athletic games, may be subject to expulsion from the school or school district by the principal." (source: MGL, Chapter 71, Section 37h)

All of the procedural steps in Level 1 infractions will apply to the major disciplinary infraction policy.

[Adopted: 4/10/00]

[Revised: October 2003]

Legal References:

M.G.L. 71:84; 71:85, 76:16; 76:17, 71:37H