48911
. (a) The principal of the school, the principal's designee,
or the district superintendent of schools may suspend a pupil from
the school for any of the reasons enumerated in Section 48900, and
pursuant to Section 48900.5, for no more than five consecutive
schooldays.
(b) Suspension by the principal, the principal's designee, or the
district superintendent of schools shall be preceded by an informal
conference conducted by the principal, the principal's designee, or
the district superintendent of schools between the pupil and,
whenever practicable, the teacher, supervisor, or school employee who
referred the pupil to the principal, the principal's designee, or
the district superintendent of schools. At the conference, the pupil
shall be informed of the reason for the disciplinary action and the
evidence against him or her, and shall be given the opportunity to
present his or her version and evidence in his or her defense.
(c) A principal, the principal's designee, or the district
superintendent of schools may suspend a pupil without affording the
pupil an opportunity for a conference only if the principal, the
principal's designee, or the district superintendent of schools
determines that an emergency situation exists. "Emergency situation,"
as used in this article, means a situation determined by the
principal, the principal's designee, or the district superintendent
of schools to constitute a clear and present danger to the life,
safety, or health of pupils or school personnel. If a pupil is
suspended without a conference before suspension, both the parent and
the pupil shall be notified of the pupil's right to a conference and
the pupil's right to return to school for the purpose of a
conference. The conference shall be held within two schooldays,
unless the pupil waives this right or is physically unable to attend
for any reason, including, but not limited to, incarceration or
hospitalization. The conference shall then be held as soon as the
pupil is physically able to return to school for the conference.
(d) At the time of suspension, a school employee shall make a
reasonable effort to contact the pupil's parent or guardian in person
or by telephone. If a pupil is suspended from school, the parent or
guardian shall be notified in writing of the suspension.
(e) A school employee shall report the suspension of the pupil,
including the cause for the suspension, to the governing board of the
school district or to the district superintendent of schools in
accordance with the regulations of the governing board of the school
district.
(f) The parent or guardian of a pupil shall respond without delay
to a request from school officials to attend a conference regarding
his or her child's behavior.
No penalties shall be imposed on a pupil for failure of the pupil'
s parent or guardian to attend a conference with school officials.
Reinstatement of the suspended pupil shall not be contingent upon
attendance by the pupil's parent or guardian at the conference.
(g) In a case where expulsion from a school or suspension for the
balance of the semester from continuation school is being processed
by the governing board of the school district, the district
superintendent of schools or other person designated by the district
superintendent of schools in writing may extend the suspension until
the governing board of the school district has rendered a decision in
the action. However, an extension may be granted only if the
district superintendent of schools or the district superintendent's
designee has determined, following a meeting in which the pupil and
the pupil's parent or guardian are invited to participate, that the
presence of the pupil at the school or in an alternative school
placement would cause a danger to persons or property or a threat of
disrupting the instructional process. If the pupil is a foster child,
as defined in Section 48853.5, the district superintendent of
schools or the district superintendent's designee, including, but not
limited to, the educational liaison for the school district, shall
also invite the pupil's attorney and an appropriate representative of
the county child welfare agency to participate in the meeting. If
the pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian has requested a meeting
to challenge the original suspension pursuant to Section 48914, the
purpose of the meeting shall be to decide upon the extension of the
suspension order under this section and may be held in conjunction
with the initial meeting on the merits of the suspension.
(h) For purposes of this section, a "principal's designee" is one
or more administrators at the schoolsite specifically designated by
the principal, in writing, to assist with disciplinary procedures.
In the event that there is not an administrator in addition to the
principal at the schoolsite, a certificated person at the schoolsite
may be specifically designated by the principal, in writing, as a
"principal's designee," to assist with disciplinary procedures. The
principal may designate only one person at a time as the principal's
primary designee for the school year.
An additional person meeting the requirements of this subdivision
may be designated by the principal, in writing, to act for purposes
of this article when both the principal and the principal's primary
designee are absent from the schoolsite. The name of the person, and
the names of any person or persons designated as "principal's
designee," shall be on file in the principal's office.
This section is not an exception to, nor does it place any
limitation on, Section 48903.