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Little Rock School Board upholds year-long expulsions after student hearings
Summary
After presentations, family testimony and board questions, the Little Rock School Board accepted the superintendent's recommendations to expel five students for the 2026–2027 school year; the board noted distance-learning options will be available to expelled students.
The Little Rock School Board on May 5, 2026, heard testimony and reviewed evidence in multiple student expulsion hearings and voted to accept the superintendent's recommendations to expel five students for a full calendar year, 05/06/2026 through 05/05/2027.
The board’s attorney and hearing officer, David Kazea, opened the proceedings and described the hearing process, saying administration would present evidence and witnesses and that students or families could make statements and be questioned. Administration presented separate cases: an on-campus physical altercation involving school resource officers and a later discovery of mace (students T H and S H); an allegation a student displayed a handgun on campus (JP); a matter where the student’s family requested a closed hearing (LJ); and a middle-school mace discharge (LR).
Administration witnesses described the incidents. Will Douthart, dean of students at Southwest High School, said surveillance and staff accounts show a physical altercation involving SROs and that “that’s when they found the mace on [the…
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