Washington Administrative Code › Title 392 - Public Instruction, Superintendent of › Chapter 392-400 - Student discipline › SHORT-TERM SUSPENSION › Section 392-400-245 - Short-term suspension-Conditions and limitations

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
A short-term suspension may be imposed upon a student for
				  violation of school district rules adopted pursuant to WAC
				  392-400-225, subject to the
				  following limitations or conditions, the prior informal conference procedures
				  set forth in WAC
				  392-400-250, and the grievance
				  procedures set forth in WAC
				  392-400-255:
(1) The nature and circumstances of the
				violation must be considered and must reasonably warrant a short-term
				suspension and the length of the suspension imposed. This requirement does not
				preclude the boards of directors of school districts from establishing the
				nature and extent of the corrective actions which, as a general rule, must be
				imposed as a consequence of proscribed misconduct. Such advance notice to
				students is advisable, and the imposition of such preestablished corrective
				action is permissible as long as (a) disciplinarians and hearing officers are
				allowed to grant exceptions in cases involving extenuating or exceptional
				circumstances, and (b) short-term suspension is not established as the
				corrective action for a student's first time offense other than for offenses
				involving exceptional misconduct as defined in subsection (2) of this
				section.
(2) As a general rule, no
				student shall be suspended for a short term unless another form of corrective
				action reasonably calculated to modify his or her conduct has previously been
				imposed upon the student as a consequence of misconduct of the same nature. A
				school district may, however, elect to adopt rules providing for the immediate
				resort to short-term suspension in cases involving exceptional misconduct as
				long as disciplinarians and hearing officers may grant exceptions in cases
				involving extenuating or exceptional circumstances, notwithstanding the fact
				prior alternative corrective action has not been imposed upon the student(s)
				involved. For the purpose of this rule, "exceptional misconduct" means
				misconduct other than absenteeism which a school district has judged, following
				consultation with an ad hoc citizens committee, to (a) be of such frequent
				occurrence, notwithstanding past attempts of district staff to control such
				misconduct through the use of other forms of corrective action, as to warrant
				an immediate resort to short-term suspension, or (b) be so serious in nature or
				so serious in terms of the disruptive effect upon the operation of the
				school(s) as to warrant an immediate resort to short-term suspension. The ad
				hoc citizens committee required by this section shall be composed of three or
				more persons chosen by the school district or the administrative designee(s) of
				the district, and shall be constituted with the intent and purpose of
				representing various socioeconomic, minority and majority populations of the
				school district to the extent deemed practical.
(3) No student in grades kindergarten through
				grade four shall be subject to short-term suspensions for more than a total of
				ten school days during any single semester or trimester as the case may be, and
				no loss of academic grades or credit shall be imposed by reason of the
				suspension of such a student.
(4)
				No student in the grade five and above program shall be subjected to short-term
				suspensions for more than a total of fifteen school days during any single
				semester or ten school days during any single trimester, as the case may
				be.
(5) A student may be excluded
				from a particular classroom or instructional or activity area for the period of
				suspension, but the school district must provide an opportunity for a student
				to receive educational services during a period of suspension. Any student
				subject to a short-term suspension shall be provided the opportunity upon his
				or her return to make up assignments and tests missed by reason of the
				short-term suspension if:
(a) Such
				assignments or tests have a substantial effect upon the student's semester or
				trimester grade or grades; or
(b)
				Failure to complete such assignments or tests would preclude the student from
				receiving credit for the course or courses.