What are my rights if I’ve been suspended?
Suspension is when you are excluded from school for a short time. Suspension is normally only used when the school has tried other ways of sorting out the problem but it has not worked. You can be suspended if, while you’re at school, or travelling to or from school, you: • create a danger to people at school • use serious violence against people • seriously damage property • steal or help others steal • sell, use or bring drugs to school • disobey clear and reasonable instructions from school staff • disturb order at school or stop others from learning or taking part in school life • discriminate against, harass or bully other people. If you are 16 or older you can be suspended if you deliberately and regularly do things like skip classes or don’t do any work. The principal should let you explain what happened and consider other penalties before suspending you. They should also meet with your parents or guardian to talk about the situation and explain what happens if you are suspended
