8.3.4 District Policies & Codes of Conduct

Every school district and charter school has its own discipline policies, typically outlined in a “Student Handbook” or “Student Code of Conduct.” These documents specify the offenses for which students can be disciplined and the type(s) of discipline that can be imposed for each type of offense. Many districts use a tiered system of discipline in which escalating severity of offenses corresponds to an escalating severity of suggested interventions or types of discipline. The district policies also lay out the specific procedures and timelines that schools must follow when disciplining students. These are often more detailed and sometimes more stringent and thus favorable to the student than the minimum provided under La. R.S. 17:416. The district codes of conduct should be available online on the district or charter school website.

Orleans Parish has a unique disciplinary system. Each New Orleans charter school is responsible for creating its own policies with regard to suspensions and other disciplinary alternatives. However, the expulsion process for all schools is centralized through NOLA Public Schools. NOLA Public Schools outlines the offenses for which a student can be expelled and the exact process that the charter school must use in order to recommend a student for expulsion.1  If the charter school meets its procedural obligations, then a NOLA Public Schools Hearing Officer will decide the matter in accordance with the district policies.

• 1See Student Hearing Office Manual, NOLA Pub. Schs. (Mar. 26, 2019).