Suspensions and Expulsions in New Zealand State Schools

Abstract

School suspensions have recently raised much public comment. Suspending a student’s education is the most serious disciplinary step that a principal and board of trustees can take. In this paper Cathy Casey enters the debate on school suspensions and expulsions. First, she examines the current statutory requirements on school principals and boards of trustees in state schools in suspending or expelling a student. She then analyses the latest available New Zealand figures on notified suspensions and expulsions. Noting the limitations imposed by the data, she identifies several alarming trends. Finally, she discusses some controversial suspension issues, including the use of the “kiwi suspension” and the ramifications of two recent legal challenges to suspensions in the High Court of New Zealand.