503.02 – Student Expulsion

Students shall conduct themselves in accordance with Board policy 502. IA, “Student Conduct.” Students who fail to abide by that policy may be expelled from school.

It shall be within the discretion of the superintendent to recommend to the Board the expulsion of a student for disciplinary purposes. Only the Board may take action to expel a student and to readmit the student. It shall be within the discretion of the Board to discipline a student depending on the nature of the offense and the circumstances surrounding the offense. The Principal shall keep records of expulsions in addition to the Board’s records.

When a student is recommended for expulsion by the Board, the student shall be provided with:

  1. Notice of the reasons for the proposed expulsion;
  2. The names of the witnesses and an oral or written report on the facts to which each witness will testify;
  3. An opportunity to present a defense against the charges and provide either oral testimony or written affidavits of witnesses on the student’s behalf;
  4. The right to be represented by counsel;
  5. The results and findings of the Board in writing open to the student’s inspection.

In addition to these procedures, a special education student will be provided with the following procedures:

  1. Determine whether the student is actually guilty of the misconduct.
  2. A staffing team should determine whether the student’s behavior is caused by the student’s handicap and whether the conduct is the result of inappropriate placement. Discussions and conclusions of this meeting should be recorded.
  3. If the handicapped student’s conduct is not caused by the handicap, the student may be expelled or suspended for a long-term period following written notice to the parent and pursuant to the district’s expulsion hearing procedures.
  4. If the misconduct is caused by the handicap and a change in placement is recommended, the change must be made pursuant to the placement procedures used by the school district.
  5. If a change in placement is not recommended, a determination must be made as to how to cope with the student in the future.

Legal Reference: Iowa Code 21.5, 282.3, .4, .5, (1989)

Date of Adoption: September 3, 1991

Reviewed & Revised: February 21, 2000; January 27, 2003; January 21, 2008; March 15, 2019