School board rethinks expulsion policy School board rethinks expulsion policy (April 15, 2005)

Change could come after county scolds board

By Kathy Schrenk

The Mountain View Los Altos High School District board is considering a change in its expulsion hearing policy in response to criticism from the county education board.

The Santa Clara County Board of Education said the district was guilty of "prejudicial abuse of discretion" when it expelled a senior baseball player earlier this year for putting glue in classroom locks. County trustees said the teen received an unfair hearing before the high school board, adding that the district didn't prove that he was eligible for expulsion under state education code.

Now the district is considering a policy change that would put schools' expulsion recommendations in front of a trained panel of administrators before board members consider it for approval. Almost all Bay Area school districts use this system, associate superintendent Brigitte Sarraf said. The panel would likely be made up of three to five people, including Sarraf and the principal and vice principal from one of the district schools, she said. State law forbids having administrators from the student's home school on the expulsion panel, she added.

Board member Phil Faillace voiced support for such a new policy because it adds a step to the expulsion process. "It gives the family another opportunity to challenge the recommendation," he said. Parents would still be allowed to appeal the decision to the county education board, as two of the parents did in the glue-vandalism incident.

The expulsion-hearing panel would have 40 days after the school's expulsion recommendation to actually mete out the punishment, Sarraf said.

During that time the student would be in another school or an independent study program. The board also discussed clarifying their policies on punishments for vandalism. Faillace suggested the following for a first offense of a senior prank involving vandalism: revocation of senior privileges, banishment from extracurricular activities and transfer to another school. A second violation would be punishable by expulsion. This would fulfill the state education code requirement for expulsion that "other means of correcting the student are infeasible," board members believe.

The district has gotten tougher on vandalism in recent years since a bond measure paid for millions of dollars in physical upgrades to the school campuses. Students have been warned of severe consequences for vandalism, board president Dave Williams said. The glue-in-the-locks prank resulted in $2,100 in damage, Sarraf said. Three of the four teens that were expelled because of the vandalism have reimbursed the district, she said.

All four were allowed to return to school after the county board's decision, and the expulsions were expunged from their records.

Board members didn't make any decisions on the policies Monday evening, but will take another look at the recommendations at their next meeting on May 9. @email:E-mail Kathy Schrenk at kschrenk@mv-voice.com.

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