The Matumbo Angelina Ribebe Secondary School is under pressure from parents who want their children admitted to the hotel as the academic year resumes.
Parents of 72 students denied admission met with school administration to air their grievances.
The majority of the learners are accused of committing various transgressions last year, such as smuggling contraband, absenteeism, and using foul language against hostel staff.
The newly founded National Organization of Parents in Education interim president attended the meeting, urging the school to consider the predicament in which the parents find themselves.
Paulus Hauwanga says communications from the school to parents about learners' misdemeanors were not prompt enough for remedial measures to be taken.
"This is where we say you may find a child sleeping or misbehaving; we need to do more; we should not simply suspend or expel these learners without providing the social support that these learners require; we need social workers in our schools."
School Principal John Kasoka says the school board will look into some of the minor transgressions and reconsider its decision.
"Because without regulations, we will run these hostels haphazardly, and that's why we see there is a lot of vandalism in the hostel, a lot of misbehavior in the hostel, and so on. So we urge parents, together with the school boards, to hold hands with the teachers and school management so that we are able to run schools according to hostel guides, or to the guidelines that are provided by the hotel, and also according to the Education Act."
Kasoka says the strict implementation of disciplinary regulations is a recipe for success for the school, which he wants parents to appreciate.
"Our Grade 11, which is the ordinary level, we had 106 learners, and from that 106, we managed to send 65 of them to the AS level, which translates into a 57 percent or 60 percent pass rate, which is an achievement because we have been fighting so long to also come back again on this level because the previous year, 2019, we did so well. But then we went a little dormant, but this time I believe we achieved our position, as we say, we are reclaiming our position."
Matumbo Ribebe is ranked as one of the best-performing public schools.