Goss v. Lopez
United States Supreme Court
419 U.S. 565 (1975)
Relevant factsFree
Under Ohio law, school principals could suspend students for up to ten days for misconduct without any hearing, so long as parents were notified within 24 hours with reasons given; Lopez and other Ohio students (plaintiffs) were suspended under this scheme without any hearing and sued a school administrator (defendant), arguing the lack of process violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The district court agreed, and the school system appealed to the Supreme Court.
IssueFree
Whether a school district's policy of suspending students from school for up to ten days without a hearing violates procedural due process protections under the Fourteenth Amendment.