High School Student Expelled for Remainder of Year Over Drugs

The Hartland Board of Education voted unanimously to expel a high school student Monday for the rest of the school year because of the student's involvement in a recent incident that Superintendent Janet Sifferman said was drug-related.

Sifferman, who was interviewed by Hartland Patch after the agenda was posted last week, declined to release any further details, except to say that law enforcement also investigated. The connection to drugs also was not discussed during the meeting.

The motion to expel, recommend by the superintendent, also allows the student to seek fall enrollment at LEGACY, the district's alternative high school. It followed an expulsion hearing where evidence was presented and in which the student and student's mother gave statements, the motion said.

"Based on the information that we did receive it seems that the student does have a potential to be a better student, so hopefully they will take advantage of the LEGACY program because I think it sounds like it could be a really good fit," Board Trustee Michelle Hutchinson said.

Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte said in an e-mail to Hartland Patch on Monday he needed to gather more information internally before possibly making any comments. The department has a school resource officer stationed at the high school.

It was the first expulsion of the year, Sifferman said, adding that the district of 5,500 students typically sees one or two a year, she said. The board could consider a couple more next month in cases involving a bomb threat at the high school and an incident with a X-ACTO knife that occurred earlier this month.

Both are currently within the district's hearing process — which the district typically uses as "an intervention" to help troubled students in an effort to address the underlying problems that cause the behavior. Sifferman said the district holds anywhere between 40-60 hearings a year that include follow-ups made by the hearing officer, Scott VanEpps, the assistant superintendent of personnel and student services. Often, providing additional counseling and options, such as the enrolling in the alternative high school are considered if needed.

"It's a very good process," she said. "We take every circumstance under consideration."