California — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- The article defines its own terms: "“Suspension” means removal of a pupil from ongoing instruction for adjustment purposes." and "“Expulsion” means removal of a pupil from (1) the immediate supervision and control, or (2) the general supervision, of school personnel, as those terms are used in Section 46300." (Sec. 48925) On length: a principal or superintendent may suspend "for no more than five consecutive schooldays." (Sec. 48911(a)) And in a year: "the total number of days for which a pupil may be suspended from school shall not exceed 20 schooldays in any school year," subject to the stated transfer exception. (Sec. 48903(a)) On when suspension may be used at all: "Suspension, including supervised suspension as described in Section 48911.1, shall be imposed only when other means of correction fail to bring about proper conduct." with the stated first-offense exceptions. (Sec. 48900.5(a)) On emergency removal, the article defines its own term: "“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." (Sec. 48911(c))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- Suspension belongs to the school: the principal, the principal's designee, or the district superintendent, preceded by an informal conference at which the pupil "shall be given the opportunity to present the pupil's version and evidence in the pupil's defense." (Sec. 48911(b)) Expulsion belongs to the district's governing board, and the hearing procedures are the board's own to adopt: "The governing board of each school district shall establish rules and regulations governing procedures for the expulsion of pupils." (Sec. 48918) The appeal forum is stated: "If a pupil is expelled from school, the pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian may, within 30 days following the decision of the governing board to expel, file an appeal to the county board of education which shall hold a hearing thereon and render its decision." (Sec. 48919)
No state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the source; that absence is the finding. - Sources last checked
- Oct 15, 2026
Reproduced from the state's own statutes quoted below: potentially relevant official sources, not a determination of which one governs any situation.
This page assembles what California publishes in statute about K-12 school discipline: who may remove a pupil and how, the notice and hearing the statute requires, what continues during a removal, where the appeal route runs, and, because the statute assigns much of the detail to each district's governing board, a map of the questions answered only in a district's own rules and regulations. The fullest single statement is Education Code Chapter 6, Article 1 (Sections 48900–48927), captured in full. California's own vocabulary appears throughout its text: suspension, supervised suspension, expulsion, the governing board, the county board of education, a rehabilitation plan. District rules and regulations add procedural detail this page does not carry; the delegation map below points at exactly those questions. For a pupil with an IEP or Section 504 plan, the disability layer lives on this site's California special education page. Confirm applicability with the district and the agencies. All dates on this page are quoted from the sources, not a deadline calculation performed for you.
The framework, as the state writes it
Suspension by a teacher (Sec. 48910). "A teacher may suspend any pupil from class, for any of the acts enumerated in Section 48900, for the day of the suspension and the day following." The teacher reports the suspension to the principal, who takes further action.
Suspension by the principal or superintendent (Sec. 48911). "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." It is ordinarily preceded by the informal conference quoted in the docket. Without a conference: "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." (Sec. 48911(c))
Supervised suspension classroom (Sec. 48911.1). As an alternative to removal from campus, "A pupil suspended from a school for any of the reasons enumerated in Sections 48900 and 48900.2 may be assigned, by the principal or the principal’s designee, to a supervised suspension classroom for the entire period of suspension if the pupil poses no imminent danger or threat to the campus, pupils, or staff, or if an action to expel the pupil has not been initiated." That classroom "promotes completion of schoolwork and tests missed by the pupil during the suspension." (Sec. 48911.1(c)(3))
Expulsion, discretionary recommendation (Sec. 48915(a)). For a shorter list of serious acts, "the principal or the superintendent of schools shall recommend the expulsion of a pupil for any of the following acts committed at school or at a school activity off school grounds, unless the principal or superintendent determines that expulsion should not be recommended under the circumstances or that an alternative means of correction would address the conduct:" The statute adds that the principal or superintendent "is encouraged to do so as quickly as possible to ensure that the pupil does not lose instructional time." (Sec. 48915(a)(2))
Expulsion, discretionary order (Sec. 48915(b)). On recommendation, "the governing board of a school district may order a pupil expelled upon finding that the pupil committed an act listed in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) or in subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e) of Section 48900." The order must be based on a finding that other means of correction failed or that the pupil's presence is a continuing danger.
Expulsion, mandatory suspension and recommendation (Sec. 48915(c)). For the most serious acts — firearms, brandishing a knife, unlawful sale of a controlled substance, sexual assault or battery as defined in Section 48900(n), or possession of an explosive — "The principal or superintendent of schools shall immediately suspend, pursuant to Section 48911, and shall recommend expulsion of a pupil that he or she determines has committed any of the following acts at school or at a school activity off school grounds:"
Expulsion, mandatory order (Sec. 48915(d)). For those same acts, "The governing board of a school district shall order a pupil expelled upon finding that the pupil committed an act listed in subdivision (c), and shall refer that pupil to a program of study that meets all of the following conditions:" — a program not housed at the pupil's own schoolsite and not provided at a comprehensive school.
State special schools (Sec. 48927). "This chapter shall also apply to pupils attending the California School for the Blind and the two California Schools for the Deaf, which shall be referred to as the “state special schools.”" The section substitutes the appropriate state-school official for principal, superintendent, and governing board throughout the article.
The published process
- Notice of charges and the hearing right before long-term exclusion
- "The pupil shall be entitled to a hearing to determine whether the pupil should be expelled. An expulsion hearing shall be held within 30 schooldays after the date the principal or the superintendent of schools determines that the pupil has committed any of the acts enumerated in Section 48900, unless the pupil requests, in writing, that the hearing be postponed." (Sec. 48918(a)(1)) "Written notice of the hearing shall be forwarded to the pupil at least 10 calendar days before the date of the hearing. The notice shall include all of the following:" among the required contents, "Notice of the opportunity for the pupil or the pupil’s parent or guardian to appear in person or to be represented by legal counsel or by a nonattorney adviser, to inspect and obtain copies of all documents to be used at the hearing, to confront and question all witnesses who testify at the hearing, to question all other evidence presented, and to present oral and documentary evidence on the pupil’s behalf, including witnesses." (Sec. 48918(b), (b)(5))
- Services during exclusion
- "The teacher of any class from which a pupil is suspended may require the suspended pupil to complete any assignments and tests missed during the suspension." (Sec. 48913) For a two-or-more-day suspension, the statute makes that a right on request: "Upon the request of a parent, a legal guardian or other person holding the right to make educational decisions for the pupil, or the affected pupil, a teacher shall provide to a pupil in any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, who has been suspended from school for two or more schooldays the homework that the pupil would otherwise have been assigned." (Sec. 48913.5(a)) For expulsion: "At the time an expulsion of a pupil is ordered, the governing board of the school district shall ensure that an educational program is provided to the pupil who is subject to the expulsion order for the period of the expulsion. Before an expulsion order is finalized, the governing board shall notify the pupil and the pupil’s family of the available educational options for expelled pupils as outlined in the plan pursuant to Section 48926. No later than three days after the expulsion, the governing board shall complete the initial referral of the pupil for enrollment in an educational program." (Sec. 48916.1(a))
- The record made, and the appeal route
- "A record of the hearing shall be made. The record may be maintained by any means, including electronic recording, so long as a reasonably accurate and complete written transcription of the proceedings can be made." (Sec. 48918(g)) "The governing board of the school district shall maintain a record of each expulsion, including the cause for the expulsion. Records of expulsions shall be nonprivileged, disclosable public records." (Sec. 48918(k)(1)) The appeal route is stated: "If a pupil is expelled from school, the pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian may, within 30 days following the decision of the governing board to expel, file an appeal to the county board of education which shall hold a hearing thereon and render its decision." (Sec. 48919) "The decision of the county board of education shall be final and binding upon the pupil and upon the governing board of the school district." (Sec. 48924)
- If the pupil has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer (evaluation, the IEP team, manifestation determination, services during removal, and the dispute routes) lives on this site's California special education page. The discipline statute itself states: "An individual with exceptional needs, as defined in Section 56026, may be suspended or expelled from school in accordance with Section 1415(k) of Title 20 of the United States Code, the discipline provisions contained in Sections 300.530 to 300.537, inclusive, of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and other provisions of this part that do not conflict with federal law and regulations." (Sec. 48915.5(a)) And: "A free appropriate public education for individuals with exceptional needs suspended or expelled from school shall be in accordance with Section 1412(a)(1) of Title 20 of the United States Code and Section 300.530(d) of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations." (Sec. 48915.5(b))
The four rows above answer the questions an experienced advocate raises first, from the state's own statutes, or record that a question is not answered in them.
Timelines, as stated in the sources
All quoted; none calculated. From California Education Code Chapter 6, Article 1, as retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
On suspension by a teacher: "for the day of the suspension and the day following." (Sec. 48910(a))
On suspension by the principal or superintendent: "no more than five consecutive schooldays." (Sec. 48911(a)) An emergency suspension without a conference entitles the pupil to a conference on return: "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." (Sec. 48911(c))
On the annual suspension cap: "the total number of days for which a pupil may be suspended from school shall not exceed 20 schooldays in any school year," or 30 schooldays where the transfer exception applies. (Sec. 48903(a))
On the expulsion hearing: it "shall be held within 30 schooldays after the date the principal or the superintendent of schools determines that the pupil has committed any of the acts enumerated in Section 48900," and "the pupil is entitled to at least one postponement of an expulsion hearing, for a period of not more than 30 calendar days." (Sec. 48918(a)(1))
On the expulsion decision: "Within 10 schooldays after the conclusion of the hearing, the governing board of the school district shall decide whether to expel the pupil, unless the pupil requests in writing that the decision be postponed. If the hearing is held by a hearing officer or an administrative panel, or if the governing board of the school district does not meet on a weekly basis, the governing board of the school district shall decide whether to expel the pupil within 40 schooldays after the date of the pupil’s removal from his or her school of attendance for the incident for which the recommendation for expulsion is made by the principal or the superintendent of schools, unless the pupil requests in writing that the decision be postponed." (Sec. 48918(a)(2))
On notice of the hearing: "at least 10 calendar days before the date of the hearing." (Sec. 48918(b))
On the appeal: it must be filed "within 30 days following the decision of the governing board to expel". (Sec. 48919) "The county board of education, or in a class 1 or class 2 county a hearing officer or impartial administrative panel, shall hold the hearing within 20 schooldays following the filing of a formal request under this section. If the county board of education hears the appeal without a hearing conducted pursuant to Section 48919.5, then the board shall render a decision within three schooldays of the hearing conducted pursuant to Section 48920, unless the pupil requests a postponement." (Sec. 48919) On the hearing transcript: "The pupil shall submit a written request for a copy of the written transcripts and supporting documents from the school district simultaneously with the filing of the notice of appeal with the county board of education. The school district shall provide the pupil with the transcriptions, supporting documents, and records within 10 schooldays following the pupil’s written request." (Sec. 48919)
On readmission review: "At the time an expulsion of a pupil is ordered for an act other than those described in subdivision (c) of Section 48915, the governing board shall set a date, not later than the last day of the semester following the semester in which the expulsion occurred, when the pupil shall be reviewed for readmission to a school maintained by the district or to the school the pupil last attended." (Sec. 48916(a)) For the mandatory-expulsion acts, "the governing board shall set a date of one year from the date the expulsion occurred, when the pupil shall be reviewed for readmission to a school maintained by the district, except that the governing board may set an earlier date for readmission on a case-by-case basis." (Sec. 48916(a)) The rehabilitation plan carries its own clock: "periodic review and a preliminary assessment for readmission at least 45 days before the end of the expulsion term." (Sec. 48916(b)(1))
On the educational-program referral after expulsion: "No later than three days after the expulsion, the governing board shall complete the initial referral of the pupil for enrollment in an educational program." (Sec. 48916.1(a))
What any of this means for a particular situation is for the agency and its processes to determine.
District delegation map
The statute writes the frame and expressly hands the detail to each district's governing board. Each entry below is a question a district's own rules and regulations answer, with the delegating text quoted. No district's code of conduct is captured or quoted here.
The expulsion procedure itself. "The governing board of each school district shall establish rules and regulations governing procedures for the expulsion of pupils." (Sec. 48918) The statute states a floor of required contents (the hearing, notice, and appeal rights quoted above); everything else in a district's expulsion procedure is the board's own rule.
The readmission procedure. "The governing board of each school district shall adopt rules and regulations establishing a procedure for the filing and processing of requests for readmission, a process for the required review of all expelled pupils for readmission, and a procedure for the transition process for readmitted pupils." (Sec. 48916(c)(1))
Who operates the educational program during expulsion. "Notwithstanding any other law, an educational program provided pursuant to subdivision (a) may be operated by the school district, the county superintendent of schools, or a consortium of districts or in joint agreement with the county superintendent of schools." (Sec. 48916.1(b))
The county's plan for expelled-pupil services. "Each county superintendent of schools in counties that operate community schools pursuant to Section 1980, in conjunction with superintendents of the school districts within the county, shall develop a plan for providing education services, including any services that may be required pursuant to a pupil’s individualized education program or plan pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794), to all expelled pupils in that county." (Sec. 48926(a)(1))
Records access, as stated in the sources
"The governing board of the school district shall maintain a record of each expulsion, including the cause for the expulsion. Records of expulsions shall be nonprivileged, disclosable public records." (Sec. 48918(k)(1)) "The expulsion order and the causes for the expulsion shall be recorded in the pupil’s mandatory interim record and shall be forwarded to any school in which the pupil subsequently enrolls upon receipt of a request from the admitting school for the pupil’s school records." (Sec. 48918(k)(2))
Expungement is discretionary, not automatic, and arises two ways in the article. On completion of a rehabilitation assignment: "Upon satisfactory completion of the rehabilitation assignment of a pupil, the governing board shall reinstate the pupil in a school of the district and may also order the expungement of any or all records of the expulsion proceedings." (Sec. 48917(e)) On a successful appeal: "In any case in which the county board enters a decision reversing the local board, the county board may direct the local board to expunge the record of the pupil and the records of the district of any references to the expulsion action and the expulsion shall be deemed not to have occurred." (Sec. 48923(c))
The article twice cross-references the state's general pupil-records chapter without stating its contents: suspension hearings before the governing board are closed "if a public hearing upon that question would lead to the giving out of information concerning a school pupil which would be in violation of Article 5 (commencing with Section 49073) of Chapter 6.5" (Sec. 48912(b)), and certain documentation of other means of correction is placed in "the pupil’s record, which may be accessed pursuant to Section 49069.7" (Sec. 48900.5(a)). Neither Article 5 (Section 49073 et seq.) nor Section 49069.7 was itself captured in this review; that is a finding about this review's scope, not an assertion about what either section says. Federal records rights under FERPA are federal and are not restated here.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Education Code, Chapter 6, Article 1 — Suspension or Expulsion (48900–48927, full article) | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov | section-level amendment notations in the text; retrieved Sep 1, 2026 |
| Education Code Article 5 (Pupil Records, commencing Sec. 49073) and Sec. 49069.7, cross-referenced by Article 1 | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov | not captured in this review; capture pending |
| State Board of Education regulations on suspension and expulsion (5 CCR), where they exist separately from statute | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| CDE guidance on suspension and expulsion | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| District rules and regulations for expulsion, readmission, and rehabilitation-plan procedures | each district, per Secs. 48918 and 48916(c) | never captured; the delegation map above points at them |
Change log
Sep 1, 2026 · Deepened to a full page (discipline-layer deepening pass). Re-captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/california-discipline.json: the full text of Education Code Chapter 6, Article 1 from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, unchanged in substance from the Aug 29, 2026 baseline capture (dates refreshed only). Built sections 01–02 (the framework route by route, the four hoisted process rows, the timelines section, the district delegation map, and records access) from that same source; no additional source was needed to reach full depth because the anchor statute itself carries the hearing, notice, appeal, records, and delegation provisions in full. Findings recorded: (1) the appeal forum and window are stated in the statute (county board of education, 30 days), a contrast with Pennsylvania, recorded as each state's own shape; (2) no state office or contact for parents appears in the source; (3) Sec. 48918 is itself the central delegation clause: expulsion hearing procedures are the governing board's rules to adopt within the statute's stated floor, and Sec. 48916(c) delegates the readmission procedure the same way; (4) expungement of expulsion records is discretionary under Secs. 48917(e) and 48923(c), never automatic; (5) the article cross-references its own general pupil-records chapter (Article 5, commencing Sec. 49073) and Sec. 49069.7 without stating their contents, and neither was captured in this review — a scope gap, not a claim about what those sections say. Not yet captured: CDE guidance pages, any separate Board of Education regulations on discipline, and the cross-referenced records sections above. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Aug 29, 2026 · Baseline page created (discipline-layer breadth sprint). Captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/california-discipline.json: the full text of Education Code Chapter 6, Article 1 from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which serves the article statically. Findings recorded: (1) the appeal forum and window are stated in the statute (county board of education, 30 days), a contrast with Pennsylvania, recorded as each state's own shape; (2) no state office or contact for parents appears in the source; (3) Sec. 48918 is itself a delegation clause: expulsion hearing procedures are the governing board's rules to adopt within the statute's stated requirements. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed 2026-08-29. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Oct 6, 2026 · Internet Archive captures recorded. Captures requested on 2026-09-06 by an automated capture pass and recorded this date; no human review is claimed for this entry. No quotation, date, finding or link above was changed by it. Each capture below was requested through Save Page Now and then confirmed to play back. Captures added: Education Code, Chapter 6, Article 1 → https://web.archive.org/web/20260906123736/https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&division=4.&title=2.&part=27.&chapter=6.&article=1.. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.