EXCLUSIONS/ WITHDRAWALS

No students shall be involuntarily excluded from school in any manner or for any duration of time except pursuant to the procedures contained in this code unless the student has a contagious disease or other illness dangerous to the public health or has failed to comply with state health regulations.  If one of these situations exists, the parent/guardian shall be notified immediately and the student sent home. 

If a student sixteen (16) years of age or older, chooses to leave school voluntarily, the Principal or designee shall, within ten (10) days after the student has ceased to attend school for fifteen consecutive days, send a written notice to the parent/guardian in their primary language requesting that the student and parent/guardian meet with the Principal or designee.  The meeting shall be held within ten (10) days from the date of the notice.  The time for meeting may be changed at the request of the parent/guardian.  The purpose of the meeting shall be to complete an exit interview which will include a review of the reasons for the student’s leaving school, the student’s records, and the student’s educational or employment plans.

As part of the exit interview, a student will be required to present a signed written statement from his parent/guardian indicating that the student is leaving school of his free will and that there has been no force or pressure to leave school applied upon the student by any school official or employee.

This section shall not be construed to permanently exclude a student who wishes to resume his education at a later time.

The Principal or designee, subject to the regulations by the State Board of Education shall maintain a record of every student who leaves school for a period of one consecutive month or longer, whether by reason of expulsion, exclusion, illness, voluntary departure, or for any other reason.   Such records shall include age, race, sex, address and grade level, the name of the student and the date the student ceased to attend.  The Principal and/or the designee shall submit an annual report to the Superintendent and the School Committee which shall be a summary of the students who have left school for a period of one month or longer, but the report shall not disclose the identity of any student.