G. Appeals

b. At the hearing, an administrator will present the facts of the case on behalf of the administration, including the testimony of any relevant witnesses, if appropriate. At the conclusion of the administration’s presentation, the student and/or his or her parent/guardian may present witnesses with relevant testimony. Within the discretion of the Hearing Officer, either party may appropriately question the witnesses of the other party. In addition, the administrator may also ask questions. The student may invite a faculty or staff member to be present for personal support. c. The student may be represented by counsel at the expulsion hearing. However, if a student is to be represented by an attorney, he must notify the Hearing Officer at least three (3) days prior to the hearing. Failure to notify the Hearing Officer that a student will be represented by counsel at an expulsion hearing may result in the postponement of the hearing. The Hearing Officer will inform the student and parent/guardian of the decision within 10 days after the hearing. An official letter of notification will follow the initial contact.

G. Appeals

1. Appeals of Sanctions – There are certain grounds that students and their families should consider in appealing sanctions. Generally, the basis for appeals are as follows:

a. Procedural error that prevented a fair, impartial hearing where prejudice can be proven; b. Discovery of new information that was unavailable at the time of the hearing and could have reasonably affected the decision of the administrative or Council proceeding c. Sanction imposed is disproportionate to the violation(s) committed considering relevant factors

2. Appeal of Expulsion

a. If a student or a parent/guardian wishes to appeal an expulsion decision made by the

Hearing Officer, a hearing may be requested with the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of GSSM. Such a request must be made in writing to the attention of the

President of GSSM within five days of receiving notice of the expulsion decision. The student may be represented by legal counsel during this appeal. During the appeal, terms of the original sanction will be enforced. b. An appeal to the Executive Committee of the Board will normally be limited to the established record and no new testimony will be allowed unless the Board desires to hear additional testimony. The Board may reverse or alter the decision of the Hearing Officer.

If an expulsion is overturned, the student will be allowed to make up work without penalty and all reference to the expulsion will be removed from the student’s record.

3. Appeal of Suspension

a. If a student or a parent/guardian wishes to appeal a suspension, the request must be made in writing to the GSSM President within five days of notification of the sanction.

The GSSM President will designate a member of the Senior Administration to hear appeals of suspensions. The appeal will be conducted as an informal hearing. The administrator who investigated and/or imposed the suspension, parents, and student may be present. The parents, student, and administrator will be allowed to address the

Hearing Officer. It is within the discretion of the Hearing Officer to permit others to attend, at the request of either party. b. Within 10 days of the hearing, the Hearing Officer shall render a decision in writing as to his or her decision. c. The decision of the Hearing Officer will be final. During the appeal, the terms of the original sanction will be enforced. If the appeal is successful, the sanction will be overturned and, in case of suspensions, the student will be allowed to make up all work