The Osceola County School Board needs to resolve the increasingly contentious issue of board members attending – or not attending – student expulsion hearings. It has become an unnecessary distraction.

On one hand, we hear complaints that School Board Member Jay Wheeler does not participate in these hearings and that this puts an undue burden on the remaining four board members to make the hearings so there is a quorum of at least three. Given that there are always going to be scheduling conflicts and that emergencies do come up, getting a quorum of members at these hearings may, at times, be impossible. It certainly would waste students’, parents’ and administrators’ time if hearings are cancelled for this reason.

On the other hand, Wheeler says there is no state requirement that a board member attend an expulsion hearing and that expulsion votes should be taken at School Board meetings. He also says he prefers to spend his time in other, more creative ways, to help students and the School District.

As we understand it, Wheeler is correct. It is up to school administrators to conduct expulsion hearings and then to make a recommendation to the School Board on what action should be taken.

Board Members Tom Long, Cindy Hartig, Barbara Horn and Julius Melendez all attend expulsion hearings because they choose to do so, not because they are required to, as far as we can tell. We’ve often wondered why our School Board members get involved in what we see as a school level function. While board members attending such hearings is laudable, it doesn’t appear to be necessary.

Wheeler has not attended expulsion hearings for a number of years – not since early in his first term in office – and we wonder why it has become such a hot button issue now.

Long on Tuesday during a regular board meeting said Wheeler not attending expulsion hearings is “shameful” and that he is not a team player. Maybe the better avenue for members to take as a group is to ask the School Board attorney to determine exactly what the state requires in terms of expulsion hearings and exactly when and where an expulsion vote must be taken. Board members also should determine what value attending expulsion hearings has for the student in terms of the ultimate outcome.

Also, if the public believes board members should attend expulsion hearings, then voters before heading to the polls should ask School Board candidates their positions on this issue.