Child Suspended With an IEP?
Removals of 10 or more cumulative school days can trigger legal protections most parents are never told about. Know where you stand before day 11.
Get Help Before Day 11Protections change once removals cross the 10-day mark.
Response commitment: submissions during business hours get a reply within 2 hours. Outside business hours or on weekends, expect a response within 24 hours.
Alan Driggers
Founder, The IEP Coach
Sound familiar?
- Your child has been suspended, and this isn't the first time this school year.
- Nobody has mentioned whether these removals add up to a "change of placement."
- The school suspended first and explained the IEP's role in the behavior later, if at all.
- You don't know whether a Manifestation Determination Review should have happened.
What to do right now
Count the cumulative days
Every removal this school year counts, not just this incident. The 10-day threshold changes what the district must do.
Ask, in writing, whether an MDR is required
This puts the district on the record and starts the clock on their obligation to respond.
Don't accept an informal removal as final
Verbal suspensions and "cool down" send-homes can still count toward the total. Document every one.
Get in touch
Suspension isn't automatic, and neither is expulsion.
Tell us how many days your child has missed this year and what the school has said. We'll tell you what protections should already be in play.