Hudsonville board upholds 16-day student suspension and athletic ban

The Hudsonville Public School District Board of Education voted to uphold a 16-day suspension of a student and to uphold a separate athletic participation ban at a board meeting where trustees reviewed the discipline and the district—s athletic code of conduct.

Board member Doug moved to uphold the suspension, and Andrew seconded the motion; the board later voted to uphold the 16-day suspension. The board also moved to uphold the athletic ban, with a motion supported by Dawn, and the board voted to maintain the athletic restriction as issued.

The decisions followed staff presentations and questions about the district—s tiered athletic code. An athletics staff member, Keith, who presented the disciplinary chart, said the code categorizes offenses as "tier 3" when they include use or possession of alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, vaping, misuse of social media or a school suspension of eight to 10 days; "A first offense for that is 40% of the season," he said. He added that the code also states that in "extreme or serious situations" — or "something that might be deemed a felony under a criminal code" — an athlete may be permanently banned from interscholastic athletics regardless of prior record.

Superintendent Dr. Gillard explained why he extended the suspension from 10 to 16 days, saying the change was tied to the severity and impact on the other student and to follow-up information gathered after the initial decision. "Some of those decisions were in direct connection to the severity and the impact on the other student," Dr. Gillard said. He said district staff also considered the student—s difficulty articulating how to avoid a repeat, and concerns about perspective taking; those factors supported a longer suspension alongside restorative practices.

Board members asked whether the athletic ban is permanent and how reinstatement would work. Board members were told that the athletic department and school administration can revisit restrictions and that a student may petition for reinstatement after a period of time; the board said it expects the athletic department to handle initial reconsideration requests. One board member noted that the board retains the authority to revisit decisions but does not intend to review routine reinstatement requests frequently.

The board did not adopt any changes to district policy at the meeting; members voted on the individual case before them. The meeting concluded after the votes and an adjournment motion.

The district did not provide additional identifying details about the student or the alleged conduct in the public portion of the meeting.