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Texas

Discipline and special education (Texas overview)

How school discipline intersects with IDEA protections for students who receive special education, plus official links and a path to the MDR page.

Overview

Students who receive special education services are still accountable for school conduct rules. They also have IDEA protections that limit how long they can be removed from their educational placement without specific team processes, and that require continued services in many removal situations.

In Texas, campus discipline (Code of Conduct, DAEP, expulsion processes) intersects with ARD and IEP procedures. Parents should read both the local Code of Conduct and special education notices when discipline escalates. Deep dive on manifestation: MDR and manifestation in Texas.

Key ideas in plain language

  • Short removals may be treated differently from removals that are a change of placement.
  • Change of placement analysis, including patterns of shorter removals, is a federal concept with real consequences for MDR timing.
  • Services during removal are not optional under IDEA once certain thresholds are met. The IEP team has a role in determining how the student continues to progress toward goals.
  • Functional behavior assessment (FBA) and behavior intervention plan (BIP) tools are often part of preventing repeat problems, and they can be required after certain manifestation findings.
  • Special circumstances, meaning specific serious offenses under IDEA, can allow interim alternative educational settings for a limited period even when behavior is related to disability. Read the federal rule rather than guessing from rumor.

What parents can do early

  • Ask for written discipline referrals and the exact rule allegedly violated.
  • Compare the behavior to IEP and BIP supports. Were supports delivered as written?
  • Request an ARD if placement, services, or safety plans need revision before a crisis grows. See preparing for your ARD.
  • Document communication. Save emails and notices.
  • If a longer removal is proposed, ask immediately whether an MDR will be held and when.

Texas framing

Districts follow IDEA plus Texas Education Code and TEA special education requirements. Education Service Centers and SPEDTex can help you find parent-facing explanations. Your district's special education handbook and Code of Conduct are local must-reads.

SEN does not publish a full discipline flowchart here. Charts go stale. The official links below are the durable starting points.

Official sources

When to get personal help

Get help early when removals stack up, when DAEP or expulsion is on the table, or when disability-related behavior is being treated as willful misconduct without looking at supports. Free information lines and Parent Training and Information Centers are a start. See For Parents for support options. Hire an attorney when you need legal advocacy.

Not legal advice. Always verify discipline procedures with IDEA, TEA, and your district's current documents.