January 28, 2026 Meeting Minutes - Behavior, Discipline, and Manifestation Determination

PALS
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PALS Meeting Minutes

January 28, 2026 9:30 a.m.

Virtual Meeting using Zoom

Open Forum

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Positive Behavior Supports in School

School districts must follow guidelines for managing special education students’ behavior. They should implement Positive Behavior Support programs using proven methods. These strategies should have been effective in real-world settings, promoting good behavior and reducing bad behavior.

To create a Positive Behavior Support plan, school districts should conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment. This involves observing the student in various settings with a trained professional to identify the causes of problematic behavior. These causes can stem from the environment or interactions with others.

A Positive Behavior Support plan is crucial for students with disabilities who require special assistance managing disruptive behavior. It should be developed by the student’s Individualized Education Plan (“IEP”) team based on the assessment results and included in the IEP. These plans should focus on positive reinforcement methods, such as giving positive comments, offering favorite activities, allowing homework passes, and providing specific rewards.

For full details, read PaTTAN's document on Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) Process below.

Functional Behavioral Assessment Process — Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) Process from **PaTTAN**.

School Discipline and Students with Disabilities

Just like any other child, a child with a disability shouldn’t face harsher punishment than a child without a disability for the same offense. It’s important for the school to treat all children fairly and apply the same rules. A school can only discipline a child if they’ve broken a rule outlined in the school’s code of conduct. Sometimes, the rule might lead to suspension, expulsion, or transfer to another school. A child with a disability might also have extra protections under special education law. These full protections only apply if:

1. The penalty the school district wants is considered a change in placement.

If the proposed discipline doesn’t involve a change in placement, the public school or charter school can discipline your child using the same rules as other children.
If the proposed discipline involves a change in placement, the school needs to schedule a manifestation determination meeting.
1. The school must hold a manifestation determination meeting within 10 school days to decide if the proposed discipline will change where your child is learning. Keep in mind that during this time, the school can’t move your child to a new school unless the misbehavior involved drugs, guns, or serious harm to someone else, or if a Hearing Officer has determined that keeping your child in the current program would be risky for them or others.

2. The behavior was clearly linked to the child’s disability.

3. There weren’t any special circumstances that made the situation different.

For full details, read Chapter 8 of the Education Law Center's document, The Right to Special Education in Pennsylvania: A Guide for Parents and Advocates, below.

Manifestation Determination

Students with disabilities cannot be removed from school through expulsion or a series of suspensions for behaviors linked to their disabilities. If a school intends to suspend or expel a student who has an IEP or 504 plan, a Manifestation Determination meeting must be conducted. This process is mandated by IDEA 2004 when a student with a disability is being relocated.

A disciplinary change of placement occurs when a student with a disability is taken out of their current school due to rule violations. This can occur if:

The student is out of school for more than 10 consecutive days, or
The student is out of school for over 15 days in an entire school year, or
The student is out of school for days 11-15 in a pattern, or
The student is out of school for just one day and has an intellectual disability, or
School staff may decide to transfer a student to a temporary alternative educational setting for up to 45 school days without determining if the behavior is related to their disability, if the student:

Possesses a weapon at school, on school grounds, or at a school event under the control of a local educational agency (LEA),

Is aware of possessing or using illegal drugs, or sells or solicits the sale of a controlled substance at school, on school grounds, or at a school event under the control of an LEA, or

Has caused serious injury to someone at school, on school grounds, or at a school event under the control of an LEA. In such cases, the LEA must notify the parent.

Within 10 school days of deciding to change the student’s placement, the LEA, parent, and relevant IEP team members must review whether the behavior in question is a manifestation of the student’s disability. The team must assess:

Was the behavior caused by, or directly and substantially related to, the student’s disability?

Was the behavior a direct result of the LEA’s failure to implement the Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

For full details, read PaTTAN's Manifestation Determination Worksheet, below.

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