Beloit School District board reviews how expulsions and administrative hearings are handled, including triggers, timelines and early-return conditions

The Beloit School District board convened a workshop to review the district's administrative hearing and student expulsion process, hear how cases are referred, and discuss alternatives to long expulsions.

Board President Tia Johnson opened the session saying the meeting was intended "to provide the board insight as to the various components of the current administrative hearing and expulsion process and provide perspective as to alternative mechanisms that may be utilized by districts around the state." She emphasized the workshop was for information-sharing rather than deciding policy.

Administrative hearing officers Kelsey McCarthy and Bryce Becker told the board that referrals for administrative hearings come from school administrators ' typically a principal or assistant principal ' who send a request with basic facts. "We schedule an administrative hearing during that suspension period," McCarthy said, and the hearing can end with a recommendation to return to school under conditions, a recommendation for an alternative placement, or a referral for expulsion.

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