Dealing with a school expulsion can be stressful and emotional for everyone involved.
Administration
Here's What to Do When Your Child Is Expelled From School (Correct Child's Behavior)
Dealing with a school expulsion can be stressful and emotional for everyone involved.
The student involved, as well as their parents and teachers, will inevitably face various issues. Due to the seriousness of being expelled from school, the situation must be addressed effectively.
Of course, it’s important to find out exactly what has happened and what the consequences are for your child or student. In some cases, being expelled from school is the final consequence of chronic disruptive behavior. For some students, however, expulsion from school is sudden and unforeseen. By establishing the facts and understanding how the expulsion process works, parents can be the best advocates for their children.
Education resources
Has your child been expelled or suspended from school?
Parents aren’t always familiar with the terminology used to identify school procedures. While a school suspension is a serious situation, it does not mean your child will be unable to return to school. Typically, a school suspension lasts up to ten days, after which your child can attend class. However, behavioral plans and subsequent behavior modification objectives may follow a school suspension.
In contrast, being expelled from school means your child is prevented from returning. They will no longer be a school community member and will not be permitted to attend class, sit exams or attend extracurricular activities. While many school expulsions are permanent, some schools will allow expelled students to return after the expulsion of one term or one year.
Generally, expulsion from school is considered to be the most serious form of punishment. Being permanently required to leave the school indicates that prior attempts to resolve a student’s unwanted behavior have failed.
What does expulsion mean for your child?
If your child has been expelled, they may have varying reactions. For some children, being kicked out of school is a badge of honor and something they feel will impress their peers. For others, being expelled from school is an embarrassing and devastating consequence they didn’t think about at the time of their infraction.
Many parents will issue punishments or consequences when a child is expelled from school. For example, you may feel grounding them or removing access to their electronics is an appropriate course of action. While this can signify the seriousness of the situation to the student, it’s also important to consider the emotional impact that being kicked out of school can have on children.
If you feel your child is struggling to cope with being kicked out of school, it’s essential to access assistance. This may take the form of counseling or therapeutic intervention. In addition, addressing the behaviors which led up to the expulsion from school can be productive at this stage.
Most people assume that expulsion from school will ruin a child’s future. While school expulsion is extremely serious, it does not mean your child will be prevented from receiving an education. Regardless of the long-term outcome of an expulsion, your child can still thrive academically.
Of course, expulsion from school should be avoided wherever possible. By advocating for your child, you may find that you can persuade decision-makers that expelling your child is the wrong decision. If so, they can continue their academic career at their current school and return to class.
How does the expulsion process work?
Before a child can be formally expelled from school, an expulsion hearing must take place. Typically, someone from your child’s school will contact the district superintendent and ask them to expel the student. At this point, the student’s parents or caregivers will be sent a date for the child’s expulsion hearing.
You must attend this hearing as it will be the only opportunity to advocate on their behalf. If you choose not to attend, the hearing will go ahead in your absence, and the outcome will be enforced.
At a school expulsion hearing, the school will present its case and explain why they believe your child’s school is expelled. Evidence and witnesses will be used to prove your child broke the school rules. Following this, you can explain why your child should not be expelled from school. You may cite your evidence, use your witnesses, and cross-examine witnesses that the school called.
While an expulsion hearing isn’t as formal as a court hearing, it is a legal process. Although you can advocate on behalf of your child, you may prefer to appoint an attorney to act on their behalf instead.
Once the evidence has been presented, each party is invited to make a final statement or closing submission. At this point, the decision-maker or board of decision-makers will consider whether your child should be expelled from school. Rest assured, the decision-makers will be neutral persons from either the Board of Education or the local community.
How to appeal a school suspension and win
If your child is suspended from school rather than expelled, you may still want to advocate on their behalf. While short suspensions do not usually require a hearing, you can still appeal the suspension. For mid or long-term suspensions, a conference or hearing may take place. Again, you are entitled to appeal the decision.
A school suspension will appear on your child’s academic record, so appealing can be beneficial. Furthermore, many schools will suspend a child while asking the district superintendent to expel them. For this reason, it is best to start preparing your child’s case as soon as you are informed of a suspension, conference, or hearing.
If you can, it is often advisable to retain the services of an attorney. Due process must be followed for a school expulsion to be valid. Parents may struggle to understand the intricacies of this process in time to argue with them at the expulsion hearing, particularly if you are also trying to uncover what happened to cause the expulsion and deal with your child’s reaction to the situation.
In contrast, an experienced attorney will have in-depth knowledge of the processes and procedures used throughout an expulsion hearing and will be able to argue your child’s case effectively and succinctly.
Of course, not everyone can access legal services. If you plan to advocate on your child’s behalf, you can prepare for a suspension or expulsion hearing in a number of ways.
Advocating on behalf of your child
Before you argue that your child shouldn’t be expelled, you’ll need to know exactly what prompted this chain of events. Ask your child to explain what happened honestly and objectively. If possible, ask them to write an account of the incident, including who was there and anything which preceded it.
Although you may be unable to retain the services of an attorney, you may be able to access free or reduced-cost legal advice. Many lawyers offer such services, so contact your local community advisory service.
In addition to this, you can prepare for an expulsion hearing in the following ways:
Familiarize yourself with the process
Knowing how the process works will enable you to work within it. For example, your child should not be expelled on hearsay evidence alone. If no one witnessed the alleged incident and there are no witnesses, you can argue that this violates the appropriate procedure.
Seek out witnesses
At the hearing, witnesses will be asked to give their accounts of what happened. Knowing what they say will help you prepare for the hearing and give you a better understanding of the situation.
Ask for relevant documents
Both sides will be invited to bring documents relating to the expulsion to the hearing. You have the right to ask for these documents in advance so that you can prepare your child’s case. Be sure to request these as early as possible and ask for copies of everything used during expulsion.
Preparing your child’s case
If you are given notice of your child’s expulsion hearing, you are permitted to request a postponement. Although your child may be unable to return to school until the hearing has been completed, a postponement may give you the time you need to prepare for the hearing more thoroughly.
If you cannot attend the hearing on the proposed date or require additional time to gather evidence and prepare, asking for a postponement can be the best action. Dealing with an expulsion hearing can be difficult for parents and children, but the process is designed to enable all parties to be heard. By advocating for your child at this stage, you can ensure they can continue their education with minimum disruption.
