One of the duties of the Alameda County Office of Education and the Alameda County Board of Education is to handle the appeals process if a student has been expelled from school.

There are several important steps that must be followed. The process may sometimes appear confusing, but each district is required to have someone to help with the process.

FIRST: You must try to handle the request at the district level.

SECOND: If you do not get the result you want at the district level but you feel you have a good case, you can submit an appeal to the Alameda County Board of Education.

A booklet on the expulsion appeal process is available at the Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton Ave. in Hayward. You may also contact ACOE’s Community and Legal Liaison, Jan Treff, 510-670-4225 or jtreff@acoe.org.

You can also download the forms and booklets listed below:

• Expulsion Appeal Form
• Expulsion Appeal Handbook
• Guia de Apelacion de Expulsion

If your child is being expelled and you want to challenge that decision, you can ask the Alameda County Board of Education to determine whether you and your child received a fair hearing from your local school board.

You are not required to have a lawyer/advocate for the expulsion process but you can have someone help with your case, if you want. Some parents/guardians seek the help of a lawyer/advocate if they: do not understand the expulsion process; have limited English language skills; and/or have difficulty expressing themselves in front of a group.

There are agencies that can help find a lawyer. There may be some fees for the services, but you should ask about whether they have free assistance.

Alameda County Lawyer Referral Service510-893-7160

Bay Area Legal Aid800-551-5554 or 510-663-4744

Law Center for Families510-451-9261