5. Attend the appeal hearing
Question & Answer
Can I appeal a suspension?Most hearings take place at the school board’s office and last about 2 hours. Each school board can decide on its own hearing process. They must give you a copy of their procedures and information about the process before the hearing. Review these carefully.
The people at the appeal hearing include:
- you, the student
- your parent
- your lawyer or your parent’s lawyer (if you have one)
- the principal
- the principal’s lawyer (if they have one)
- at least 3 trustees
- the trustees’ lawyer
The trustees are in charge of the hearing. Sometimes they will also let you or the principal bring witnesses to the hearing if it is helpful.
The process
The trustees will want to hear your side of the story and the principal’s. Usually, they will ask the principal to speak first.
You can ask the principal questions after they have finished speaking. Your questions should show that the principal did not consider all of the relevant factors, or that they did not make a reasonable decision. See Step 1 for the factors a principal must consider. The trustees may also ask questions.
You will also be allowed to make a statement that explains your side of the story. The trustees may ask you questions so that they can understand what you are saying.
Once you and the principal are both finished, the trustees will meet in private and make a decision.
The possible outcomes
There are 3 possible outcomes to a suspension hearing:
- The suspension and its length are confirmed. This can be between 1 and 20 days.
- The suspension is confirmed but the length is shortened.
- The suspension is cancelled and removed from your student record.
The decision from a suspension hearing is final. You cannot appeal it.