There are numerous types of school discipline that may be imposed if a student engages in improper conduct.

Academic Sanctions

An academic sanction involves keeping a child back in a certain grade or withholding a degree. It is well accepted that academic sanctions should not be imposed for disciplinary misconduct. Academic sanctions are only permitted if misconduct is directly related to academic performance.

Long-Term Suspensions or Expulsions

Long-term suspensions or expulsions for the remainder of the school term, or permanently, may require more formal procedures. A long-term suspension generally lasts ten days in duration. There are many states that limit the maximum duration of a long-term suspension to a shorter time frame.

Depending upon the severity of the student’s misconduct, the student may be expelled. The student may be expelled for:

• Carrying or bringing any type of weapon onto school grounds.
• Theft.
• Violence towards other students or school personnel.

When a student is expelled they are not permitted to return to the school where they were expelled from during that school year or typically in any following years. There is a wave now of zero tolerance in school settings. Zero tolerance means that school officials will not tolerate certain types of improper behavior.

Short-Term Suspensions

A short-term suspension does not have a fixed definition with respect to duration of time. Typically, a short-term suspension usually lasts for up to ten days in duration. Most state statutes designate the maximum duration of short-term suspensions. Many state statutes limit the duration of a short-term suspension at five days or less.

School Transfers

If the student engages in misconduct, they may be transferred to another school. Depending upon the state and the school district, a school transfer may or may not be an option as a type of discipline.

Copyright 2012 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.