Student Rights

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Student Rights > Problems at School

This book is for students at school and their advocates. Read it, share it, talk to your local Community Law Centre about it!

We hope that it helps you deal with any problems you might have at school and that it gives you a better understanding of your rights in the education system.

• Introduction
• Accessing education
  • Your right to education
  • School zones and “enrolment schemes”
  • Attendance requirements: When you have to be at school
  • Truancy: Wagging school
  • Different types of schools
  • School fees
  • The New Zealand Curriculum
  • Special education
  • Transgender, agender, non-binary and gender non-conforming students
• Management and discipline
  • Boards of trustees: Their role and powers
  • Teachers and staff
  • Student welfare and safety: The school’s obligations
  • Discipline and rules
  • Punishments
  • Students’ rights in the disciplinary process: Natural justice principles
  • Restorative justice
• Stand-downs, suspensions and expulsions
  • Overview: When you can be removed from school
  • Stand-downs: Short-term removal from school
  • Suspensions
  • Exclusions and expulsions
  • Challenging a suspension, exclusion or expulsion
  • Records of stand-downs, suspensions and expulsions
  • Being sent home on health grounds
  • Illegal suspensions
  • Private schools: Suspensions and expulsions
• Specific areas of control and discipline
  • Uniforms and appearance
  • Searching students and confiscating items
  • Investigating criminal behaviour by students
  • Bullying in schools
  • Boarders and school hostels
• Information and privacy
  • Getting information from the school
  • Schools collecting your information
  • Schools storing and protecting your information
  • When schools can give your information to others
  • Students and confidential school counselling
  • Complaining about privacy or information issues
• Parents and schools
  • Your right to be kept informed by the school
  • Separated parents
  • Trespass: Being banned from school grounds
• Fixing problems and making complaints
  • How to resolve disputes at school
  • Making a complaint to an outside organisation
  • Sample letters
  • Some key terms
  • Sources and further reading
  • Useful contacts