It takes serious behavior issues for a student to be expelled from school. You will first receive notice your teen is facing suspension, which provides an opportunity for you to intervene. However, if your teen continues to break the rules, they can be expelled. This could be a serious warning sign your child is experiencing emotional issues. Expulsion is especially troubling for violent teens involved in fighting, violence, or threatening behavior.
Let’s take a look at the types of teen behavior that can lead to expulsion and what parents can do to help their child remain on a steady path to graduate.
What is the Cause for Expulsion from School?
Although expulsion guidelines vary from school system to school system, expulsion is the last resort for dealing with unacceptable student behavior. In public schools, grounds for expulsion are usually guided by federal and state laws and include:
- Non-compliance with the federal Gun-Free Schools Act but might include other weapons
- Repeated dangerous behaviors such as fighting, bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, sexual assault, verbal abuse of teachers and staff, etc.
- A certain number of disciplinary acts or suspensions
- Illegal activities such as drug dealing or theft
- Giving drugs or alcohol to a minor
- Threats
- Racially motivated acts of violence, harassment, vandalism, verbal abuse, etc.
In a private school, expulsion guidelines may be different. Private schools will expel students who break the rules listed in the handbook or consistently fail to comply with the school’s values.
Early Warning Signs Your Teen Is at Risk of Expulsion
Schools use early intervention strategies to help your teen stop their inappropriate behavior. This usually involves progressive discipline with each incident leading to increasingly more serious consequences. There are also rules to protect your child’s rights which determine what that discipline involves. Therefore, the focus is on corrective and supportive methods as opposed to punitive discipline.
If your student is skipping school occasionally it is not necessarily cause for worry, but if missing school becomes habitual it can be an early warning sign of trouble. If the school reports behavioral problems, particularly behaviors that are of a more serious or frequent nature, these are also early warning signs your child is in danger of being expelled. However, it could also indicate they might be struggling with emotional, mental, or learning challenges.
What to Do When Your Teen is Expelled
It is important to understand the circumstances that led up to your child’s expulsion. If your child has teenager aggression that presents a threat to the safety of teachers, staff and students, their expulsion is justified. A record of the progressive disciplinary action taken will show how the school came to their decision. However, if your child doesn’t present a danger, there are a few situations where expulsion isn’t justified, including:
- Your child has a condition or disorder that makes it difficult for them to control their behavior or understand the consequences of their behavior
- Their behavior was related to the actions of another student, staff member or teacher who harassed them because of their race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation
- The behavior is a manifestation of an identified disability for which they have an Individual Education Plan or participate in a special program
- The school failed to accommodate the student’s known special needs
- The expulsion will contribute to worsening behavior, such as dropping out of school
In these cases, you can choose to appeal the expulsion or seek assistance for your teen to ensure they have the resources they need to complete their education.
When Your Teen’s Behavior is Out of Control
When there is no doubt your teen’s expulsion is because they are out of control, therapeutic boarding schools can help. They are designed to help teenagers deal with their behavioral issues while continuing to progress in school, so they don’t just drop out. If your teen’s behavior is related to learning disabilities or the autism spectrum, a therapeutic boarding school with specialized treatment programs is also effective.
Programs such as executive functioning skill building will support your child and allow them to pursue their education in a setting that accommodates “learning differences.”
When your teen has been expelled, they need a structured academic structure where they can gain life skills through counseling services. Placing them in a therapeutic boarding school offers them a chance to not only graduate but also face adulthood with the skills to lead a productive, fulfilling life.
Learn how therapeutic boarding schools help struggling teens continue in school while addressing behavioral health issues here.