By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-873134.mp3
LANSING, MI – The state Supreme Court will decide whether teachers can sue to force their school districts to expel violent students.
Four Lansing public school teachers are suing their school district for not expelling students who assaulted them. State law requires districts to remove students who commit violent acts against school employees for the balance of the school year.
Their case was thrown out by lower courts that ruled the law does not give teachers standing to sue. The courts also said the law gives school boards the authority to decide whether students committed acts bad enough to warrant expulsion.
The teachers and their union say the victims of assaults by students should have a way to force districts to comply with the law. In one of the instances, a teacher was hit by a chair. The court will hear arguments and make its decision next year.