Special Education Discipline – An Overview

Although some provisions of the IDEA can be confusing and tricky, a working practical understanding of special education discipline is essential for all professionals in the field. This presentation is designed to provide quick and concise answers to many of the questions frequently raised by educators concerning the discipline of students with disabilities. We also offer some practice pointers along the way.

Among the topics covered will be “FAQs” in the following areas: disciplinary removals; removals to an IAES; and disciplining potentially eligible students. We will also discuss the fundamentals of behavior interventions as well as examining recent federal guidance focused upon helping public schools fulfill their responsibilities to meet needs of students with disabilities and avoid discriminatory use of student discipline.

Jonathan P. Read is a founding partner in the San Diego area office of F3 Law. Jonathan represents school districts and other educational agencies in all facets of due process and disciplinary proceedings under the IDEA and Section 504. He represented the National School Boards Association as amicus curiae in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court case, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District.

A popular speaker, Jonathan is frequently requested to present before the Association of California School Administrators, the California School Boards Association, and at national events sponsored by LRP. His article entitled “Access to Achievement: The Changing Landscape of FAPE” appeared in the Summer/Fall issue of Urban Perspectives. (Vol. 15, No. 2.) Jonathan has also developed a specific expertise in representing school districts in matters involving English language learners. Jonathan co-authored the book ELLS With Disabilities: A Guide to Leading Assessment and Intervention for LRP Publications.
Jonathan serves as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he teachers all aspects of education law, including labor and employment, school governance, charter schools, and constitutional issues facing students.

Jonathan professional career in education began as a one-to-one aide for severely disabled students and as an ELL aide in the San Diego Unified School District. He subsequently taught elementary school in the Poway Unified School District. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. He received his bachelor of arts degree in music and his multi-subject teaching credential from the University of California, San Diego.