Page 36 - The Edge - Winter 2021

STUDENT DISCIPLINE

BY BILL MUNCH, CPPO, CPPB
Procurement of Hearing Officers for

Student Discipline Cases
Bill Munch
<a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/discipline">Discipline Vectors by Vecteezy</a
Hopefully none of our students are currently facing your district is not part of the Trust, I don't believe
discipline issues since online learning is the way of you're going to be able to use their hearing officers.
the world right now. However, I recently received You would need to do a procurement based upon
many questions via one of the many listservs the threshold requirements.
I belong to regarding whether or not student
discipline hearing officers required a procurement. There were some thoughts out there that the
Department of Education approves student
My first reaction was that I didn't have any idea! discipline hearing officers. That is not the case.
Although, just to clarify, based upon my further I think the confusion comes from the fact that
research, hearing officers for student discipline the Department of Education DOES approve
hearings are not approved by ADE. The governing hearing officers for protest hearings but not for
statute is ARS 15-843. The statute requires the student discipline. It is also easy to get confused
Governing Board to conduct a hearing or assign with the private education provider list the
a hearing officer. If the Governing Board chooses Department of Education approves. The selection
to use a hearing officer, the school district must
procure and approve the hearing officers for those
hearings. A link to this statute can be found at:
https://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/00843.htm.

For districts that are members
of the Arizona Risk Retention
Trust, the Trust has a list of
hearing officers they approve
for student hearings. Members
of the Trust may utilize this list
for their hearing officer needs
and remain compliant with
procurement requirements.
This is a great service that the
Trust provides.

Most school districts either
use Trust-approved hearing
officers or the Governing
Board conducts their own
hearings. Districts can use the
Trust-approved hearing officers
because they're covered under
the Trust agreement you have
as part of your insurance. If

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36 THE EDGE WINTER 2021