The foundation of discipline provisions for students with disabilities lies in the concept of "change of placement." When an entitled individual is removed from his/her educational setting for more than ten (10) consecutive days or for a series of removals that totals ten (10) days it is considered a change of placement. When this occurs the IEP team shall meet.

Suspension of an entitled individual should be considered an emergency measure to protect the health, safety or welfare of the individual or others. IEP teams have the responsibility to identify alternative strategies for teaching appropriate behaviors. The decision to suspend an individual is ultimately the responsibility of the school administrator. In most situations in-school suspensions count toward the ten (10) days. When a school administrator decides to suspend an eligible student, best practices indicate that the following procedures be followed: