Bemidji School Board expels three students

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Oct. 6, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

The Bemidji School Board expelled three middle school students Tuesday at a special meeting, throwing two out of school for the remainder of the year, and a third for the rest of first semester.

A boy was expelled for the rest of the 1999-2000 academic year because of an incident last spring in which he made terroristic threats during school.

A girl also was expelled for the ret of this school year stemming from an assault.

And another girl was expelled for the rest of this semester because of an assault, which was not related to the other assault.

All three expulsions passed on unanimous 4-0 votes. Board member Carolyn Jacobs was not at the meeting.

The district's Director of Services Jon Huttemier said all three students have the right to appeal their expulsions to the state's Department of Children, Family and Learning.

Now that the students have been expelled, the district has to provide alternative education for them, which usually involves an expelled student attending school at the district's Alternative Learning Center, he added.

Huttemier said the district has expelled about five students for the past two academic years.

At the meeting, the School Board also passed a motion so it could meet for a workshop Monday even though it is Columbus Day.

According to Superintendent Rollie Morud, the board can meet Monday because the district does not recognize Columbus Day as a holiday, but the board had to pass a resolution to do so.