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RATIONALE/OBJECTIVE:
The Cobb County School District (District) is
dedicated to sound discipline practices in the continuing effort to provide
students in the District an effective and safe learning environment, to
promote learning, and to encourage maturity during the school day as well as
during all school-related activities. In order to maintain a safe and
orderly environment, a student may be subject to Short-Term Suspension for
the violation of school rules and/or the Rules of the District.
RULE:
A. DEFINITION:
"Short-Term Suspension" means the suspension of a student from school for
not more than ten (10) school days.
B. PROCEDURES
A principal or his designee may suspend students from school for a period of
not more than ten (10) days. In enforcing short-term suspension, the
principal or his designee shall follow the due process procedures listed
below:
1. Prior to the suspension, the student shall be given oral
or written notice of the
charges against him.
2. If the student denies the charges, the student shall be
given an explanation of the
evidence the school authorities have
and an opportunity to present his/her side of
the story.
3. A student may need to be removed immediately from school
premises before the end
of the school day if he/she poses a
continuing danger to persons or property or an
ongoing threat of disrupting the
academic process without affording the student the
notice and opportunity to respond as
described above. In such cases, the notice and
opportunity to respond shall follow
as soon as possible.
4. The student's parent or guardian shall be notified of the
suspension as soon as
possible. This notification should be
confirmed in writing no later than the day after
the suspension begins. This
notification shall contain the charges and the number of
days and dates of the suspension. The
written notification shall be delivered to the
student's parent or guardian either
in person or by first class mail to the last known
address of the parent or guardian. If
notification is delivered in person, a written
confirmation of delivery shall be
obtained.
5. If less than the number of suspended days remain in the
complete grading period, the
suspension will continue into the
next regular school year or complete grading period.
6. Even though there are no appeal rights guaranteed by law
for students on short-term
suspension, parents or guardians may call
the local school principal to discuss their
child's discipline. Following the decision
of the local school principal, the student's
parent or guardian may contact the Policy
and Planning or School Administration
Division to confirm the school’s
interpretation of the Code of Conduct or contact the
Area Assistant Superintendent if there is a
concern regarding school administrative
action.
C. ACTIVITIES WHILE UNDER SHORT-TERM
SUSPENSION
1. Students under Short-Term Suspension shall not participate
in or attend school
activities on or off campus or be
present on any other Cobb County school campus.
When short-term suspension carries
over the summer months, permission to
participate in school-sponsored
summer activities is at the discretion of the principal
unless the activity is a Georgia High
School Association (GHSA) sanctioned event in
which case GHSA by-laws apply.
Students violating this policy are subject to
additional penalties.
2. Students under a short-term suspension shall be allowed to
receive credit for class
work missed during the time of
suspension, but for no more than a total of thirty (30)
school days during a school year. A
student will earn a grade of "0" on graded class
work missed beyond the thirty (30)
school days.
3. Transitional Learning Center:
a. Middle and high school students
suspended for six (6) days or longer, may attend
the
Transitional Learning Center (TLC) to make-up work for credit:
(1)
Attendance during a suspension over six days will be a voluntary
choice made by parents/guardians.
(2)
Parents/guardians will notify the school if they are utilizing TLC for
the duration of the suspension.
(3) Students,
whose parent/guardian elects for the student to attend TLC,
are expected to complete the time assigned.
b. Middle and high school students
suspended for less than six (6) days, or who have
been
suspended for attendance or tobacco violations shall not attend the
Transitional
Learning Center (TLC) but will be allowed to make-up work for credit.
c. It will be the responsibility of
the student/parent/guardian to pick up the work
from the
local school, complete the work during the suspension and return it to
the teachers
on the first day the student returns to school following a suspension.
At the
discretion of the principal or designee, parents/guardians may also discuss
school
assistance with the transfer of student work to and from the TLC.
d. TLC students who violate TLC rules
or exhibit inappropriate behavior will be
dismissed
from the program. Parents/guardians will be contacted to come to TLC
and pick up
the student and the remainder of the suspension time will be served
at home.
e. Disciplinary offenses committed
while at TLC may result in additional discipline or
suspension
days that may not be served at TLC.
f. Students who are suspended while
attending the TLC or the alternative school shall
not be allowed to
attend the TLC to make-up their work during these thirty (30)
school days
discussed in Item C(2) above, but will be allowed to make-up that work
at home.
4. If a student/parent fails to pick up work during a
suspension that has been
prepared by the student’s teacher(s),
the student may forfeit his/her right to make–
up work under this policy during
additional suspensions during the school year.
5. A student may take final examinations and turn in
long-term assignments assigned
before the suspension or expulsion
that are due during the suspension or expulsion.
Long-term assignments must be turned
in the day the student returns from the
suspension or expulsion. The
principal shall provide for the student’s taking of final
examinations. The examinations will
occur either at the given time or through some
special arrangement at the discretion
of the principal or designee.
D. SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS:
Nothing in this Rule shall be interpreted to infringe on any right provided
to students by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of
the federal Rehabilitation Act, or the federal Americans with Disabilities
Act.
Adopted: 7/22/82
Reclassified an Administrative Rule: 9/1/04
Revised: 4/13/83; 8/8/84; 6/28/90; 5/27/92; 7/23/92; 1/13/93; 6/27/96;
5/28/98; 6/22/00; 9/18/00; 6/27/02; 10/24/02; 4/22/04; 12/9/04; 7/1/06 |