Subcommittee revises suspension and expulsion language to preserve restorative options and administrator discretion

The Policy & Instruction Subcommittee reviewed a revised suspension and expulsion policy intended to replace a decade-old document and voted to send the draft to the full board for further consideration.

Committee members discussed recent legal interpretations that a single, serious incident can meet the statutory definition of bullying, contrary to earlier expectations that bullying required repeated actions. The chair, drawing on prior administrative experience, said she amended the draft to preserve administrators' discretion and to explicitly support restorative justice as the preferred outcome while leaving suspension or expulsion available for the most serious cases.

"I want to preserve options for the school administration," the chair said, describing an incident in which administrative discretion and a 'manifestation determination' allowed staff to avoid expulsion in a complex case involving a student with special needs.

Members also raised questions about whether the policy should restate a long list of conduct leading to discipline or rely on cross-references to student handbooks and other policies. The chair said anchoring rules in the suspension/expulsion policy helps schools implement consistent procedures and defend decisions legally.

The committee discussed terminology and notification rules tied to restraint and seclusion, noting the draft references a 24-hour notification window; the chair said the board could adopt a stricter notification policy if it chose to do so.

The committee agreed to forward the policy to the full board and to continue researching preferred modern terminology for disability-related language and the statutory framing of bullying.