Delaware Administrative Code
Title 14 - Education
900 - Special Populations
926 - Children with Disabilities Subpart E Procedural Safeguards for Parents and Children
Section 926-30.0 - Discipline Procedures Authority of School Personnel

Universal Citation: 14 DE Admin Code 926-30.0

Current through Register Vol. 28, No. 3, September 1, 2024

30.1 Case by case determination: School personnel may consider any unique circumstances on a case by case basis when determining whether a change in placement, consistent with the other requirements of this section, is appropriate for a child with a disability who violates a code of student conduct.

30.2 School personnel under Section 30.0 may remove a child with a disability who violates a code of student conduct from his or her current placement to an appropriate interim alternative educational setting, another setting, or suspension, for not more than 10 consecutive school days (to the extent those alternatives are applied to children without disabilities), and for additional removals of not more than 10 consecutive school days in that same school year for separate incidents of misconduct (as long as those removals do not constitute a change of placement under Section 36.0).

30.2.1 After a child with a disability has been removed from his or her current placement for 10 school days in the same school year, during any subsequent days of removal the public agency shall provide services to the extent required under subsection 30.4 of this section.

30.3 Additional authority: For disciplinary changes in placement that would exceed 10 consecutive school days, if the behavior that gave rise to the violation of the school code is determined not to be a manifestation of the child's disability pursuant to subsection 30.5, school personnel may apply the relevant disciplinary procedures to children with disabilities in the same manner and for the same duration as the procedures would be applied to children without disabilities, except as provided in subsection 30.4.

30.4 Services:

30.4.1 A child with a disability who is removed from the child's current placement pursuant to subsection 30.3 or 30.7 shall continue to receive educational services, as provided in 14 DE Admin. Code 923, subsection 1.2 so as to enable the child to continue to participate in the general education curriculum, although in another setting, and to progress toward meeting the goals set out in the child's IEP; and receive, as appropriate, a functional behavioral assessment, and behavioral intervention services and modifications, that are designed to address the behavior violation so that it does not recur.

30.4.2 The services required by subsections 30.4.1, 30.4.3, 30.4.4, and 30.4.5 may be provided in an interim alternative educational setting.

30.4.3 A public agency is only required to provide services during periods of removal to a child with a disability who has been removed from his or her current placement for 10 school days or less in that school year, if it provides services to a child without disabilities who is similarly removed.

30.4.4 After a child with a disability has been removed from his or her current placement for 10 school days in the same school year, if the current removal is for not more than 10 consecutive school days and is not a change of placement under Section 36.0, school personnel, in consultation with at least one of the child's teachers, determine the extent to which services are needed, as provided in 14 DE Admin. Code 923, subsection 1.2 so as to enable the child to continue to participate in the general education curriculum, although in another setting, and to progress toward meeting the goals set out in the child's IEP.

30.4.5 If the removal is a change of placement in Section 36.0, the child's IEP Team determines appropriate services in subsection 30.4.1.

30.5 Manifestation determination: Within 10 school days of any decision to change the placement of a child with a disability because of a violation of a code of student conduct, the LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the child's IEP Team (as determined by the parent and the LEA) shall review all relevant information in the student's file, including the child's IEP, any teacher observations, and any relevant information provided by the parents to determine:

30.5.1 If the conduct in question was caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the child's disability; or

30.5.2 If the conduct in question was the direct result of the LEA's failure to implement the IEP.

30.5.3 The conduct shall be determined to be a manifestation of the child's disability if the LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the child's IEP Team determine that a condition in either subsection 30.5.1 or 30.5.2 was met.

30.5.4 If the LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the child's IEP Team determine the condition described in subsection 30.5.2 was met, the LEA shall take immediate steps to remedy those deficiencies.

30.6 Determination that the behavior was a manifestation: If the LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the IEP Team make the determination that the conduct was a manifestation of the child's disability, the IEP Team shall either:

30.6.1 Conduct a functional behavioral assessment, unless the LEA had conducted a functional behavioral assessment before the behavior that resulted in the change of placement occurred, and implement a behavioral intervention plan for the child; or

30.6.2 If a behavioral intervention plan already has been developed, review the behavioral intervention plan, and modify it, as necessary, to address the behavior; and

30.6.3 Except as provided in subsection 30.7, return the child to the placement from which the child was removed, unless the parent and the LEA agree to a change of placement as part of the modification of the behavioral intervention plan.

30.7 Special circumstances: School personnel may remove a student to an interim alternative educational setting for not more than 45 school days without regard to whether the behavior is determined to be a manifestation of the child's disability, if the child:

30.7.1 Carries a weapon to or possesses a weapon at school, on school premises, or to or at a school function under the jurisdiction of the DOE or an LEA;

30.7.2 Knowingly possesses or uses illegal drugs, or sells or solicits the sale of a controlled substance, while at school, on school premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of the DOE or an LEA; or

30.7.3 Has inflicted serious bodily injury upon another person while at school, on school premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of the DOE or an LEA.

30.8 Notification: The LEA or other public agency shall ensure that the parents, guardian or Relative Caregiver of each child with disabilities receive written notice of the rules and regulations applicable to such children with respect to discipline, suspension, expulsion, and exclusion as a treatment procedure at the beginning of each school year or upon entry into a special education program during the school year; and

30.8.1 On the date on which the decision is made to make a removal that constitutes a change of placement of a child with a disability because of a violation of a code of student conduct, the LEA shall notify the parents of that decision, and provide the parents the procedural safeguards notice described in Section 4.0.

30.9 Definitions: For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

"Controlled Substance" means a drug or other substance identified under schedules I, II, III, IV, or V in section 202c of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)).

"Illegal Drug" means a controlled substance; but does not include a controlled substance that is legally possessed or used under the supervision of a licensed health care professional or that is legally possessed or used under any other authority under that Act or under any other provision of Federal law.

"Serious Bodily Injury" has the meaning given the term "serious bodily injury" under paragraph (3) of subsection (h) of section 1365 of title 18, United States Code.

"Weapon" has the meaning given the term "dangerous weapon" under paragraph (2) of the first subsection (g) of section 930 of title 18, United States Code.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1415(k)(1) and (7); 14 Del.C. § 3110)

Determination of Setting

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