Can a principal take away all extra stuff besides sports?

Question

Due to one 9th grade guy trying to beat up the same guy 3 times in two weeks(the last time 7 people jumped in) our principal took away break, the 30 min. of free time before school, club meetings, after-school activities(besides practice) & pep-rallies. Is he able to do this? The guy got expelled, and the drama is over. Its high school. There's supposed to be drama. It's not a movie or fantasy land.. Can he legally take away all of this stuff??

Answer 1

Yes, the prinicpal has a right to suspend or discontinue any extra-curricular activities that do not impact the academic learning time.  It is an extreme punishment, but I have seen this before in the school where I used to teach.  Perfectly legal.  Extra-curricular activities are a privilege and are not an automatic right of the students.   As long as the principal does not remove instructional time, he can remove all non-curricular activities.