STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES PREAMBLE. A primary responsibility of the Kalama School District and its professional staff shall be the development of an understanding and appreciation of our representative form of government, the rights and responsibilities of the individual and the legal processes whereby necessary changes are brought about. The school is a community and the rules and regulations of a school are the laws of the community. All those enjoying the rights of citizenship in the school community must also accept the responsibilities of citizenship. A basic responsibility of those who enjoy the rights of citizenship is to respect the laws of the community. Recent court decisions have indicated clearly that young people in the United States have the right to receive a free public education. The deprivation of that right may occur only for just cause and in accordance with due process of law. The courts have also stated that students have the rights of citizenship as delineated in the United States Constitution and its Amendments. These rights may not be abridged, obstructed or in other ways altered except in accordance with due process of law. The First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of The United States prohibit states from unduly infringing upon the rights of speech and expression. In the school setting this restriction of state action determines the manner and extent to which schools may limit the speech and expression of students. In order to effectively regulate First Amendment rights, school authorities must show that the failure to regulate would create a material and substantial disruption of school work and discipline. Administrators and teachers also have rights and duties. The teacher is required by law to maintain a suitable environment for learning and administrators have the responsibility for maintaining and facilitating the educational program. The principal is authorized by statute to suspend for cause. The teacher has the authority to suspend students from class for a cause. The following rules, regulations and due process procedures are designed to protect all members of the educational community in exercise of their rights and duties. Nothing in this statement of student rights shall be held to limit the due process rights of educators or classified school employees nor their use of the district grievance procedure. Any sections of the document or portion thereof, found by adjudication to be contrary to law or constitutional right shall be stricken wi...
