I.23 SUSPENSION
Policy:
In accordance with the Regulations of the Education Admin Act, the Principal or his designate may suspend for a period not exceeding three weeks, any pupil who persists in conduct or actions, which the Principal deems injurious to the welfare of the school. With approval from the Superintendent, the Principal may suspend a student for an additional three weeks. The period of suspension shall not exceed 6 weeks.
"Suspension" is defined as a "temporary stopping of a pupil's right to attend school or school related activities.”
Protocol:
1. Schools teams must ensure that a student’s special needs, if any, are taken into account when deciding to suspend.
2. Policy on student discipline will be communicated to school division staff, parents, and students at the beginning of each school year or upon the registration or enrolment of new students during the year. (Reference to school handbooks)
3. Where suspension exceeds more than three days, a principal must ensure that educational programming is available to a pupil who has been suspended.
4. Schools will develop a behaviour intervention plan for students who have been suspended out of school more than two times during a school year.
5. Each school will identify a re-entry process that includes timelines involving the students, parents/guardians and appropriate school team members for students who are suspended, and ensure re-entry occurs on the day following the suspension.
6. The Superintendent & CEO will present a summary of student out of school suspensions to the Board in June of every school year.
* Each school will keep records on the nature and duration of all suspensions, both in-school and out-of-school.
Procedure:
1. The Principal or his designate shall immediately contact the parent or guardian and then provide written notice of any such suspension and a statement of the cause of the same.
2. Upon a suspension, bus transportation privileges will be revoked immediately. Principal or designate will inform bus driver of such.
3. Every out-of-school suspension will be reported to the Superintendent & CEO within twenty-four hours. The report will be in writing and will include:
a. the name of the student(s) involved,
b. the period of suspension,
c. a brief description of the events that led to the suspension.
d. A copy of the suspension report will be forwarded to the Student Services department.
4. The Superintendent & CEO will inform the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and/or the local trustee of suspensions on a case-by-case basis as necessary.
5. Any suspension 5 days and over will be brought to the Board as information.
All parents have the right to appeal to the school board any suspension of 5 or more days as per the Public Schools Act. In order to appeal, the parent/guardian must:
1. Submit a written presentation to the administration office on Thursday before the next scheduled regular Board meeting.
2. Read the written presentation to the Board at the in-camera session of a regular Board meeting.
3. In an emergency, the Board may be called to a special meeting.
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