Summertime School Expulsions – Big Legal Issues When Districts Delay

Last Updated on July 28, 2022 by Michelle Ball

By Michelle Ball, Sacramento California Expulsion, Special Education, sports/CIF, College, Education and School Attorney/Lawyer for Students since 1995

Have you ever wondered if a student can escape expulsion if he or she does something wrong just before school summer vacation?  Maybe the student can skate by and the discipline will be forgotten?  Maybe, maybe not, but if school districts do not provide timely expulsion hearings over the summer, that may be good news for the student due to breach of mandatory expulsion timelines. 

Expulsion Hearings Must Still Be Held Over the Summer Break

Most parents probably think that if a student does something expellable 5 days before a school year ends that any student expulsion hearing does not have to be held until the fall semester, months later.  Not so, at least not if the expulsion hearing will be legal.

Per California Education Code §48918(a) expulsion hearings must be held within 30 schooldays.  

Schooldays Count During Summer Break for Expulsion Hearings

But aren’t there no student “schooldays” during the summer?  Good question. 

Per California Education Code §48925(c), 

(c) “Schoolday” means a day upon which the schools of the district are in session or weekdays during the summer recess.

What this means is, although school may end in May, the “schooldays” for purposes of expulsion hearing timelines are still running Monday- Friday during the summer.  This schoolday count would likely exclude any major holidays such as July Fourth.

Schools Cannot Delay Expulsion Hearings Over the Summer Break 

So, school expulsion hearings cannot wait until the fall semester if the act occurred the prior school year.

The only exceptions would be if the parent signs a waiver or the student is in a year round school.

Summer Expulsion Timelines Are Positive for Students

These mandatory timelines can be positive for a student, as school Districts can miss summer timelines and be forced to drop a student expulsion recommendation if they mess up on timelines over the summer. 

School district administrators also may be more willing to make a deal with a parent regarding the discipline, so they don’t have to pull staff from their summer breaks for a student expulsion hearing.  

Parents Need to Be Alert to Expulsion Timelines and Challenge Any Missed Timelines

Alert district administrators may be aware of the summer timeline issues.  However, if a parent is also alert, and calculates the time, the parent may discover that the expulsion hearing was not scheduled or convened timely (e.g. the student’s expulsion hearing was convened after 30 “schooldays”). 

The alert parent may then stop the student’s expulsion hearing from proceeding.  

Right to Appeal Expulsions in Breach of Timelines

If the school district moves forward with a student expulsion hearing regardless of messing up due to summer “schooldays” being ignored or not counted, this error could give a parent the right to appeal to the county board of education. 

The County Board of Education can overturn any discipline that resulted from the untimely expulsion hearing.

Attack the Expulsion Hearing if Untimely

So, if a student did something at the end of the last schoolyear and is facing an expulsion hearing in the fall, or late summer, parents may want to check calendars.  Once the days are counted as per the law, it may just be that the expulsion was improper and can be attacked or even reversed.

---

California student attorney Michelle Ball helps students with expulsions, suspensions, and other discipline issues. As an education lawyer in Sacramento, Michelle Ball helps across California in Redding, Roseville, Los Angeles, Paradise, Ventura, Elk Grove, South San Francisco, Daly City and beyond.