CUSD employee, parent offers guidance through personal experience with expulsion

Sharyn Fields, Office Manager for the Office of Suspension and Expulsion Review in CUSD

When Sharyn Fields' daughter was expelled years ago, she had no idea what to do. 

"I felt really scared and alone when it happened with us," she said, "because I didn't know how to help my daughter." 

Fields scoured the Chico area for programs that could help her daughter cope with the pain, like counseling and rehabilitation. The whole process was difficult, she said, because Chico doesn't offer many of those programs. 

"That was really hard, but it turned out great," Fields said, "and I have a lot of experience finding resources for teens."

Later, that experience helped Fields help other parents and their children. Fields is now the office manager for Chico Unified School District's Office of Suspension and Expulsion Review, a district-wide disciplinary reporting office housed at Academy For Change. 

Sometimes she has parents ask her about what they can do to help their child that has been expelled or suspended, she said. That's when she's able to provide them with those resources and let them know they are not alone: she's been where they are now.  

"I tell parents, 'Hey, I've been sitting where you are.' And I think it makes them feel better," she said. "I think parents feel like its their fault when things happen with their child." 

Not every district has a place like Fair View High School or Academy for Change, Fields said. In some districts when kids get expelled it's "you're gone, good luck." 

"(Our schools are) really good at using suspension and expulsion for getting kids back on track," she said. "We're really trying to help these kids."