Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and student criticize process after board expels two students; board records unanimous roll-call votes
Summary
The board held closed sessions and then voted to expel two students for 180 days; during public comment, family members and the student challenged the discipline process and alleged failures of due process and inconsistent charges under Michigan law (MCL 380.1310d).
Marshall Public Schools’ Board of Education voted in roll-call sessions on March 9 to expel two students for 180 days following closed executive sessions on disciplinary matters.
The board recorded unanimous "yes" votes to expel student 25-26-3 for 180 days with an opportunity for a reinstatement hearing at 150 days; the motion was made by Treasurer Matt Davis and supported by Trustee Jerry Underh Hill. The board later entered executive session again and voted to expel student 25-26-4 for 180 days by roll call.
During the public-comment portion that followed, three speakers directly addressed the board about the handling of a separate 10-day suspension and the district’s discipline process. Jessica Dodson, identifying herself as an educator and parent, alleged the district had not complied with required procedures for at-risk students under MCL 380.1310d and said charges assigned to her daughter shifted across different labels (procurement, distribution, solicitation) as the administration adjusted records. "A suspension of this length is illegal without a written 7-day factor analysis," she told the board, and she asked for immediate restorative measures, attendance correction, and reinstatement.
Barry Dodson, the student’s father, described the disciplinary handling as inconsistent and said changing the charge labels undermined safety and trust for a student flagged for mental-health vulnerability. He urged the board to ensure transparency and adherence to statutory protections for at-risk students.
Liv Dodson, a sophomore and honor student, said she took responsibility for a mistake on Feb. 25 but said she never brought a substance onto school grounds and described a period of personal crisis and inadequate support. "For two weeks, I sat in the back of my parents’ classrooms, watching my hard-earned grades slip," she said, asking the board for fairness and not to let a single error define her future.
Board members had invoked section 8(b) of Michigan’s Open Meetings Act to meet in closed session on the disciplinary matters. The public comments focused on alleged procedural omissions (a missing written factor analysis and inconsistent charge labels) and called for restorative options rather than lengthy exclusion.
The board did not respond in detail during public comment; the expulsions were recorded in roll-call votes when the board returned to open session.
