Suspended in Wyoming: the 24-hour call, the 10-day line, and your hearing

Wyoming requires students to attend school through at least age 16 or until they finish tenth grade, according to a research brief from the Wyoming Legislative Service Office, the legislature's nonpartisan staff. Each district's board of trustees writes its own attendance rules and defines 'habitual truancy', meaning missing school without an excuse again and again.

The Wyoming Constitution gives children ages 6 through 21 a right to the opportunity for an adequate public education. The Legislative Service Office notes that this right depends on following school rules, so a lawful suspension can pause it.

Wyoming's suspension and expulsion rules are in Wyoming Statutes 21-4-305 through 21-4-308. The school must tell you what you are accused of, out loud or in writing, and explain the evidence. It must make a good-faith try to reach your parent or guardian within 24 hours and keep a record of that try.

You also get an 'opportunity to be heard': at least a meeting where the school shares what it has and you can dispute it. For a suspension of 10 days or less, that meeting comes before you are sent home, unless you are a danger to people or property. In that case you can be removed first, and the meeting must happen within 72 hours, not counting Saturday and Sunday.

This follows Goss v. Lopez (1975), where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a student facing a suspension of 10 days or less must get notice of the charges and a chance to tell their side.

A suspension longer than 10 days, or an expulsion, needs a formal hearing under the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act, held within 10 days of the recommendation unless you ask for more time. No suspension or expulsion can last longer than one year. Bringing a deadly weapon to school carries a required one-year expulsion, though the superintendent can shorten it case by case with board approval.

For bullying, Wyoming's Safe School Climate Act of 2009 requires every district to adopt a policy against harassment, intimidation, and bullying. The Wyoming Department of Education says each policy must define the banned conduct, set out how to report it, and describe a prompt investigation. It must also be published in the student handbook.