Recent court decisions have indicated clearly that young people in the United States have the right to receive a free public education, and a deprivation of that right may occur only for good and sufficient cause and in accordance with due process of law. In addition to other rights established by law, each student served by the School District possesses the following rights:
- No student shall be unlawfully denied an equal education opportunity or be unlawfully discriminated against because of natural origin, race, religion, economic status, sex, pregnancy, marital status, previous arrest, previous incarceration, or a physical, mental or sensory handicap.
- All students possess the constitutional right to freedom of speech and press, the constitutional right to peacefully assemble and to petition the government and its representatives for a redress of grievances, the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion and to have their schools free from sectarian control or influence, subject to reasonable limitations upon the time, place, and manner of exercising such right.
- All students possess the constitutional right to be secure in their persons, papers and effects against unreasonable searches or seizures.
- All students shall have the right to be free from unlawful interference in the pursuit of an education while in the custody of the common school district.
- No student shall be deprived of the right to an equal educational opportunity in whole or in part by a school district without due process of law.
Administrators and teachers also have rights and duties. The teacher is required by law to maintain a suitable environment for learning and administrators have the responsibility for maintaining and facilitating the educational program. With the cooperation and support of parents, school staff seeks to establish conditions within the school setting which will be conductive to learning.
Every teacher, school administrator, school bus driver and other school employee designated by the school board shall have the authority to impose discipline on any student for misconduct in accordance with the procedures specified in this handbook; to temporarily remove a student from a class, subject, or activity as provided for herein, and to make recommendations to appropriate school authorities for the suspension or expulsion of any student. Except as otherwise provided for, only a building administrator, the superintendent or designee may initiate a suspension or expulsion.