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Board backs workshop to speed discipline and expulsion hearings after members report month‑long delays
Summary
Board members urged a workshop to streamline discipline and expulsion hearings after speakers said students were waiting up to a month for hearings; the superintendent described existing operational checks and the board agreed to schedule a workshop to identify needed policy changes.
Several Taylor County School Board members called for a policy workshop to reduce delays in student discipline and expulsion hearings, citing cases where students were out of class for extended periods while waiting for hearings.
A board member who proposed the workshop said the district lacks the right policy to ensure timely hearings and suggested the board convene the appropriate parties to find ways to return students to class faster. "We've got several that have had to wait a month, and I don't think that's acceptable," the member said, urging the board to set a date for a workshop and involve the people who make the calendar and hearing schedules.
Superintendent Wentworth responded that operations include meetings with deans and principals and that staff review each student's place on the district disciplinary matrix before making recommendations. He said administrators "make sure the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed" and that the process is not a "fly by night deal." Board members sought clarification about when a recommendation requires a formal hearing: one member summarized Angela's explanation that a 10‑day suspension accompanied by a recommendation for expulsion triggers the requirement for a hearing before the student returns to school, whereas shorter suspensions do not.
Board members discussed timing and logistics, noting that scheduling constraints around graduation and other events might push the workshop date. Some members proposed waiting until after graduation to ensure key participants can attend; others urged scheduling sooner to avoid further delays. The board agreed to review calendars at the next meeting and come back with potential dates for a workshop to address discipline/expulsion hearing timelines.
Next steps: board members agreed to identify participants needed for the workshop (administrators, principals, and calendar coordinators) and to propose dates at the next meeting; no formal policy changes were adopted that evening.
