Superintendent Hearings
Impartial Hearing Officer Program
New Justice Services, Inc., operates an Impartial Hearing Officer Program under the authority of the Superintendent of the Syracuse City School District and in collaboration with the Office of Student Services. The purpose of this program is to conduct student suspension hearings to determine whether or not a student has violated the student Code of Conduct, and if so, what will be the most productive and effective consequence for that violation. These Hearing are conducted in an impartial and neutral manner that respects the rights of both (a) school personnel, and (b) the student, to have a full and fair opportunity to present their information regarding the incident that led to the Hearing.
There are two types of Hearings conducted under this program:
Suspensions less than 5 days:
The first are the Informal Hearings conducted for offenses that resulted in a suspension of less than 5 days. These take place at the student’s school and are known as Reinstatement Meetings. At the meeting, the Hearing Officer facilitates the School Intervention Team, which plans, with input from the student and their family, what forms of support will best promote the student's successful return to the school.
Suspensions for 5 days or more:
The second is the Superintendent Impartial Hearings, generally held for level 4 offenses. This level of violation of the Code of Conduct requires a 5 day out of school suspension. The Hearing Officer in these cases conducts a formal Hearing and then submits a recommendation to the Office of Student Support. In each case, the recommendations that result from these hearings will be based upon the philosophy that the recommendations must balance the student’s need for the least restrictive educational environment possible while recommending placing the student in an environment where they can be educationally and behaviorally successful.
Outcomes:
The primary outcome of this program is to provide the student with the behavioral and academic supports required for them to continue with their education and to restore their relationship with their home school.
