27 Students Reported Expelled Last Year

A new report says Simi Valley campuses expelled 27 students last year, up from 20 the year before.

The first of its kind, the report is intended to gauge more than just the number of students expelled, said Dennis Carter, director of student support services.

“We expel these kids and we’re interested to know what . . . happened to them and how’d they do if and when they came back,” Carter said.

Simi Valley Unified can expel students for up to one year. After that, the student can return to the district, although not always to the school where he or she got into trouble, said Lucy Schwartz, a counselor for the district.

Twelve students were expelled for having dangerous objects on campus, Schwartz said. Some incidents involved knives, others firecrackers and even scissors, she said. None of the incidents involved guns.

Nine students were expelled for fighting and four for having marijuana with intent to sell.