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Scribe625 t1_jdd86li wrote

Reply to comment by skytomorrownow in Body is 17-year-old accused of shooting 2 at Denver high school, Colorado coroner confirms - CNN by oldschoolskater

I work at a school and can attest it's ridiculously hard to expel a student and it's impossible if the student has any kind of IEP or a 504 plan because they're considered special education students and there's a ton of regulations schools have to follow for those kinds of students. I've had students violently assault staff members without any consequences because the administration is only allowed to suspend them from school 10 days total for the year so the administration feels they have to choose those days wisely, which the student knows so they know they can just keep assaulting people and have no reason to stop.

To expel a student for behavior issues requires the school to find and pay for their education somewhere else. Unfortunately, these few available alternative schools are selective and will then insist after a while that the student is ready to return to regular school since there's always a wait list and they want to free up a spot for another student. Then the student returns, can't cope with the regular school and does something that gets them kicked out and placed in a different alternative school. It's a horrible cycle and the returned students are usually more dangerous because they want to do something to get themselves out of the regular school again. I've had newly returned students try to commit suicide at school because they can't cope in a regular education system, and it's frankly terrifying as an educator.

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EchoStellar12 t1_jddny8g wrote

You can absolutely suspend students with IEPs and 504s for more than ten days. You are required to hold a manifestation hearing and a superintendents hearing prior to giving more than ten. Purpose of the meetings is to prove, one way or the other, if the actions were a result of their disability and if the accommodations/modifications/programs outline in the IEP/504 have been adequately provided.

Source: Am special education teacher, have sat in on several of these meetings, had a student removed from school for the remainder of the year after making a threat in September.

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dthornbu t1_jde1alj wrote

Fellow special ed teacher here, you are spot on, the only issue is if the manifestation hearing finds that the discipline issue was a result of the disability, that's when it gets murky (so I have been told, I have never seen it first hand).

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EchoStellar12 t1_jdeuphi wrote

That's absolutely true, but typically it's a question of "does the kid know right from wrong?" The answer is generally yes, even if the student is classified emotional disturbance.

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insidiousapricot t1_jdgynpj wrote

Damn I got expelled in 7th grade because a forgotten tiny cheap pocket knife, one of those ones with a toothpick that isn't even as sharp as scissors, fell out of my pocket changing for swimming. I was a good kid never any issues and good grades. They sent me to some program with other expelled kids who were actual troublemakers. And they told them I was a smart kid before I got there so they were making fun of me the moment I walked in lmao. Good times!

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skytomorrownow t1_jddvir7 wrote

Thank you for the insight. It seems like school districts need more funding for building and employees. That seems to be a core issue across the country.

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