FOUNTAIN VALLEY : District Reviewing Expulsion Procedure

Fountain Valley School District principals may be asked to review and make recommendations on student expulsion cases under a proposal favored by some school board members.

Under current policy, the Board of Trustees conducts expulsion hearings, but some members said they believe an administrative panel of school principals would be in a better position to make decisions about a student’s academic future.

Under the new proposal, the panel would conduct the expulsion hearings and then pass its recommendations along to the trustees for final action. The board discussed the issue last week, but postponed a decision on the proposal so it could further research the matter.

School officials said there has been an increase in student expulsions recently and attributed the rise, in part, to the trustees’ “zero-tolerance” policy, which calls for the expulsion of students who bring any weapon, including knives, guns or dangerous objects, onto school grounds.

The trustees last week called for a survey of principals to determine the effects of the zero-tolerance stance. The survey is scheduled to be completed in May. At that time, the board will reconsider the proposal to establish a principal review panel.

Board of Trustees President Robert Sedlak said he favors the idea of forming a panel because principals have the educational knowledge and experience to make decisions that would be in the best interest of the students involved.

The benefit of the panel of educators, he said, is that “a decision would be made that is more educationally sound for the student and the district.”

Trustee Barbara Vogel, who was against postponing a vote on the proposal, said the panel approach would bring consistency to the process, especially since the makeup of the board changes as new trustees are elected.

Trustee Julie Hoxsie, who is against forming a panel, said she wants to be involved in the expulsion hearings because it’s part of her role as a board member.

“I think we have a responsibility,” she said. “We’re the ones who set the zero-tolerance policy.”