Ludington Area School District board ends student’s long-term suspension, approves reintegration plan

Board President Stephanie Reed called a special meeting of the Ludington Area School District Board of Education to order at 5:02 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2026, at the district administrative office in Ludington.

The board voted unanimously to enter a closed session at 5:04 p.m. for a student-discipline hearing at the written request of the student’s family, citing Section 8(b) of the Open Meetings Act. The motion to go into closed session was moved by Dr. Bret Autrey and supported by Steve Carlson and passed 7-0.

After reconvening to open session at 5:51 p.m., the board voted 7-0 on a motion by Mike Nagle, supported by Dr. Bret Autrey, to conclude the student’s long-term suspension effective March 6, 2026. The minutes identify the case as student 2025-2026-1. The motion specifies that the student may return to school in person on March 9, 2026, at the start of the third trimester, with the support of a reintegration plan to be developed by the building administrator and the school resource officer with input from the family.

The minutes record that there was one citizen comment during the meeting by Tom Rotta, but they do not include the content of that comment. The board reported no other items of business and adjourned at 5:52 p.m. following a unanimous vote to adjourn.

The board’s minutes state that the closed session was held pursuant to "Section 8(b) of the Open Meetings Act," as recorded in the meeting minutes. The district identified the student matter in the minutes by case number only and did not include identifying details about the student in the public record.

Next steps indicated in the minutes are administrative: school staff are to develop the reintegration plan described in the motion and coordinate with the student’s family; the minutes do not specify a timeline beyond the March 9 return date or the plan’s detailed components.