An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law Compendium

DISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATIONS Before the Investigation Begins: (The following are recommendations for best practices, but please be reminded that schools must always be following their current process or procedure.)  Determine the process to be used to investigate the report or incident of student misconduct that includes:  The person(s) designated to conduct investigations. Factors to consider in selecting an investigator include:

 Credibility  Authority  Training and experience; demeanor  Impartiality

 The timeline for conducting the investigations:  Investigations should be prompt and timely so that witnesses will have the most accurate recollection of events.  The procedure for conducting the interviews and preparing the report:  Consider whether written and signed statements will be obtained from all witnesses or whether the investigator(s) will prepare a final report at the conclusion of the investigation. Gathering the Facts: (The following are recommendations for best practices, but please be reminded that schools must always be following their current process or procedure.)

 Gather detailed and concrete facts, not opinions or second-hand information: 

To the extent possible, the investigator should conduct in-person interviews focusing on the following questions:  What happened?  Who was involved?  Who were the witnesses?  How did it happen?  Where did it happen?  Why did it happen?  Do you have a copy (of any documents, emails, photos, etc.?)

An Administrator’s Guide to California Private School Law - Compendium ©2019 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 222