District Hearing & Compliance Office

Welcome! Here you will find information in regards to District Hearing Office Suspension (DHO)

The Hearing Office's mission is to support a safe learning environment for all students.

If a student behaves in a way that is inconsistent with our expectations, various interventions are implemented which can include a student being suspended from school.

If a student is suspended for 10 days with a referral to the District Hearing Officer (DHO), an informal meeting will be scheduled with this office.

The Informal Meeting Process

If a student is suspended for ten (10) days, an informal meeting must be scheduled with this office. You will receive all associated paperwork from your school (in person and/or by mail) related to this meeting. You should schedule your meeting by calling 480-497-3421. This meeting must be conducted within the ten (10) day suspension period, preferably between days 3-7 of the suspension period. The student suspended along with a parent/guardian must attend the meeting.

Before your meeting, parents/guardians need to complete the Annual Update form in their Parent Portal to update their addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses. We need to have current contact information to ensure the proper delivery of your student's meeting decision from Dr. Lockwood. Here is the link to the GPS Parent Portal. If contact info needs updating, please do so. If you need help with this please contact your campus.

Our office will email the decision letter, no later than the last suspension day, to the primary email for any guardian listed in Infinite Campus. If you do not receive your emailed letter please give us a call. A hard copy will only be sent if requested via this form. => DHO Decision Letter <=

At The Meeting

The meeting with Dr. Lockwood is informal and designed to assist in determining what if any, additional disciplinary and/or interventions need to be enacted. You will be afforded due process at the meeting which allows you to share any information you believe is valuable to the circumstances. The meeting will be recorded, and you may record it as well.

Once Dr. Lockwood has met with you and your student and has completed his review, he will issue a meeting decision for your student. This decision will be communicated via email and, if requested, it will also be mailed. You should receive the decision letter no later than the last suspension day to the primary email for any guardian listed in Infinite Campus. This letter will also contain any pertinent documentation as it relates to the interventions he may have assigned. In many cases, Dr. Lockwood will personally call the family to let them know of his decisions before the letter is received by email. If you have not heard from us prior to the suspension ending, please give us a call.

Dr. Lockwood’s meeting determinations can include but are not limited to: student behavioral contracts, counseling or assigned intervention classes, community service, school re-assignments, long-term suspensions, and recommendations for expulsion. If Dr. Lockwood’s decision includes a long-term suspension (more than 10 suspension days) or a recommendation for expulsion, you may appeal this decision (see GPS Policy/Procedure 5-306 and 5-306A for further information).

After The Meeting

Once Dr. Lockwood has met with you and your student and has completed his review, he will issue a meeting decision. This decision will be communicated via email and, if requested, it will also be mailed. The following information is for interventions he may have assigned:

Our goal is to hold students accountable for their actions, while at the same time, tapping various resources to assist the student in establishing more desirable behavior moving forward.

Parent and Student Resources

GPS Mental Health Supports and Resources
GPS District Policies, Handbooks, & Videos
Drug Testing – Sometimes we recommend drug testing. We encourage you to contact your family physician for more information.