1. Review the principal’s report
Question & Answer
Can I be expelled from school?If the principal recommends that you be expelled, they must give you a copy of their report. Read it carefully. You will need to understand the report if you want to challenge the recommendation at the expulsion hearing.
If you do not get a copy of the principal’s report as soon as the principal finishes their investigation, you can ask the principal for it.
Review the reason for recommending expulsion
The principal can only recommend expelling you if you are involved in a serious incident at school or at a school activity, or in a way that negatively affects life at school. For example, you have been repeatedly bullying someone online, telling them that you’re going to beat them up at school. Even though it didn’t happen at school, it would negatively affect life for that other student at school.
Serious incidents include:
- having or using a weapon
- hurting someone so that they need medical help
- sexually assaulting someone
- giving or selling weapons or illegal drugs
- robbing someone
- repeatedly bullying someone so that they feel unsafe
- acting in a hateful or discriminatory way
- any other activity that the school board’s policy says the principal must suspend you for
A principal cannot recommend expelling you for any other activities or behaviour.
Review the type of expulsion recommended
The principal can recommend 2 types of expulsions:
- School expulsion: You are removed as a student from your school. You are not allowed to return to your school. You will have to go to a different school in your school board.
- Board expulsion: You are removed as a student from all schools in your school board. Before you go back to any school, you must complete the school board’s special program for expelled students.
Review the investigation process
The principal’s report should explain how they did their investigation. This includes who the principal talked to, what those people said, and details of other evidence they reviewed. If this information is not in the report, you can ask the principal for it.
Usually, before finishing the investigation, the principal must try to speak with you and your parents. But if you are 16 or 17 years old and have withdrawn from parental control, or you are over 18 years old, the principal should not speak to your parents. They must also try to speak with anyone else who may have relevant information, such as other students or teachers who witnessed the incident.
