Orchard View Board recommends 180-day expulsion for student after closed-session hearing

The Orchard View Schools Board of Education voted March 16, 2026, to recommend a 180-day expulsion for a student identified in board records as MJ262002HC, with an option to enroll in the Muskegon County Virtual Academy (MCVA). The action followed a closed-session suspension/reinstatement/expulsion hearing and passed on a 5-0 roll-call vote.

Superintendent Tom Hamilton said the hearing occurred in closed session; the board entered closed session at 7:02 p.m. and returned to open session at 8:19 p.m. Board President T. Joppie presided over the meeting. The motion to recommend expulsion was made by Trustee C. Bankhead and supported by Trustee J. Taylor; the roll-call vote recorded ayes from J. Taylor, C. Bankhead, J. Eggeman, J. Wydeck and T. Joppie, with no nays.

The board’s motion, as announced, allows the expelled student the option of MCVA enrollment as an alternative to in-person attendance. The student may apply for early reinstatement by submitting an application in December for readmission at the start of the second semester in January; eligibility for early reinstatement is conditioned on passing four core classes, per the motion’s terms.

The board record identifies the student only by the case code MJ262002HC; no additional disciplinary details or underlying incident descriptions were disclosed in the open-session minutes. The board did not state any additional sanctions or supports in the open record beyond the expulsion recommendation, the MCVA option and the early-reinstatement application requirement.

The district will proceed under its established discipline and reenrollment procedures. The board’s action is final as a recommendation of expulsion from Orchard View Schools; any appeals or procedural follow-up would occur according to district policy and applicable state rules.