Florida — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- The statute defines its terms: "“Suspension,” also referred to as out-of-school suspension, means the temporary removal of a student from all classes of instruction on public school grounds and all other school-sponsored activities, except as authorized by the principal or the principal's designee, for a period not to exceed 10 school days and remanding of the student to the custody of the student's parent with specific homework assignments for the student to complete." and "“In-school suspension” means the temporary removal of a student from the student's regular school program and placement in an alternative program, such as that provided in s. 1003.53, under the supervision of district school board personnel, for a period not to exceed 10 school days." (s. 1003.01(13)) "“Expulsion” means the removal of the right and obligation of a student to attend a public school under conditions set by the district school board, and for a period of time not to exceed the remainder of the term or school year and 1 additional year of attendance. Expulsions may be imposed with or without continuing educational services and shall be reported accordingly." (s. 1003.01(10)) On emergency and off-campus removal: suspension proceedings for a felony or delinquent act charged off school property "may be suspended from all classes of instruction on public school grounds during regular classroom hours for a period of time, which may exceed 10 days, as determined by the district school superintendent." (s. 1006.09(2))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- Suspension belongs to the school, under board rules: "The principal or the principal's designee may suspend a student only in accordance with the rules of the district school board." Before a suspension, board rules "shall require oral and written notice to the student of the charges and an explanation of the evidence against him or her before the suspension. Each student shall be given an opportunity to present his or her side of the story." (s. 1006.09(1)(b)) Expulsion belongs to the district school board, which shall "Adopt rules for the control, discipline, in-school suspension, suspension, and expulsion of students and decide all cases recommended for expulsion. Suspension hearings are exempted from the provisions of chapter 120. Expulsion hearings shall be governed by ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2)". (s. 1006.07(1)(a)) On the way there, "When the district school superintendent makes a recommendation for expulsion to the district school board, he or she shall give written notice to the student and the student's parent of the recommendation, setting forth the charges against the student and advising the student and his or her parent of the student's right to due process as prescribed by ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2)." (s. 1006.08(1))
A route of review beyond the district school board's decision is not stated in the sources reviewed, and no state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the sources; those absences are the finding. - Sources last checked
- Oct 11, 2026
Reproduced from the state's own statutes quoted below: potentially relevant official sources, not a determination of which one governs any situation.
This page assembles what Florida publishes in statute about K-12 school discipline: who may remove a student and how, the notice and hearing framework the statute requires, what continues during a removal, what record follows a student, and, because the statute assigns much of the detail to each district school board, a map of the questions answered only in a district's own code of student conduct. The statute's own vocabulary appears throughout: the code of student conduct, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, the district school board, the district school superintendent, a second chance school. Each district's code of student conduct adds procedural detail this page does not carry; the delegation map below points at exactly those questions. For a student with an IEP or Section 504 plan, the disability layer lives on this site's Florida special education page. Confirm applicability with the district and the agencies. All dates on this page are quoted from the sources, not a deadline calculation performed for you.
The framework, as the state writes it
Referral by a teacher or bus driver (Sec. 1006.09(1)(a)). The principal "shall develop policies for delegating to any teacher or other member of the instructional staff or to any bus driver transporting students of the school responsibility for the control and direction of students. Each school principal shall fully support the authority of his or her teachers and school bus drivers to remove disobedient, disrespectful, violent, abusive, uncontrollable, or disruptive students from the classroom and the school bus and, when appropriate and available, place such students in an alternative educational setting." If that behavior continues, "the school principal must refer the case to the school’s child study team to schedule a meeting with the parent to identify potential remedies." If an initial meeting with the parent does not resolve it, the team must implement documented family communication, a student evaluation for alternative education programs, and behavior contracts.
Suspension by the principal (Sec. 1006.09(1)(b)). "The principal or the principal’s designee may suspend a student only in accordance with the rules of the district school board." The section requires a good-faith effort to inform the parent by telephone, written notice within 24 hours by mail, notice to the superintendent within 24 hours, and — except in an emergency, a disruptive condition requiring immediate suspension, or a serious breach of conduct as district rules define it — "A good faith effort shall be made by the principal or the principal’s designee to employ parental assistance or other alternative measures before suspension".
Expulsion recommendation by the principal (Sec. 1006.09(1)(c)). "The principal or the principal's designee may recommend to the district school superintendent the expulsion of any student who has committed a serious breach of conduct, including, but not limited to, willful disobedience, open defiance of authority of a member of his or her staff, violence against persons or property, or any other act which substantially disrupts the orderly conduct of the school." That recommendation "shall include a detailed report by the principal or the principal's designated representative on the alternative measures taken prior to the recommendation of expulsion."
Superintendent's recommendation to the board (Sec. 1006.08(1)). "When the district school superintendent makes a recommendation for expulsion to the district school board, he or she shall give written notice to the student and the student's parent of the recommendation, setting forth the charges against the student and advising the student and his or her parent of the student's right to due process as prescribed by ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2)."
Decision by the district school board (Sec. 1006.07(1)(a)). The board must "Adopt rules for the control, discipline, in-school suspension, suspension, and expulsion of students and decide all cases recommended for expulsion." Suspension hearings are exempt from Florida's Administrative Procedure Act (chapter 120); expulsion hearings run under two of its provisions, ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2), which are cited but not themselves captured in this review.
Mandatory expulsion terms — firearms and threats (Sec. 1006.07(2)(l)–(m)). A student found to have brought a firearm or weapon to school, a school function, or school transportation "will be expelled, with or without continuing educational services, from the student's regular school for a period of not less than 1 full year and referred to mental health services identified by the school district pursuant to s. 1012.584(4) and the criminal justice or juvenile justice system." The same one-year floor and referral apply to a student found to have made a threat or false report as defined by ss. 790.162 and 790.163. In both cases, "District school superintendents may consider the 1-year expulsion requirement on a case-by-case basis and request the district school board to modify the requirement by assigning the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school if the request for modification is in writing and it is determined to be in the best interest of the student and the school system."
Suspension pending a felony or delinquency charge (Sec. 1006.09(2)). Where a student is formally charged off school property with a felony or a delinquent act that would be a felony if committed by an adult, and an administrative hearing shows an adverse impact on the school, "Any student who is suspended as the result of such proceedings may be suspended from all classes of instruction on public school grounds during regular classroom hours for a period of time, which may exceed 10 days, as determined by the district school superintendent." "If the court determines that the student did commit the felony or delinquent act which would have been a felony if committed by an adult, the district school board may expel the student".
The published process
- Notice of charges and the hearing right before long-term exclusion
- For suspension, district rules "shall require oral and written notice to the student of the charges and an explanation of the evidence against him or her before the suspension. Each student shall be given an opportunity to present his or her side of the story." (Sec. 1006.09(1)(b)) For expulsion, the superintendent's recommendation carries "written notice to the student and the student's parent of the recommendation, setting forth the charges against the student and advising the student and his or her parent of the student's right to due process as prescribed by ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2)." (Sec. 1006.08(1)) The board's expulsion hearing is "exempt from s. 286.011" (Florida's open-meetings law); "the student's parent must be given notice of the provisions of s. 286.011 and may elect to have the hearing held in compliance with that section." (Sec. 1006.07(1)(a))
- Services during exclusion
- The definitions section states the general rule: "Expulsions may be imposed with or without continuing educational services and shall be reported accordingly." (Sec. 1003.01(10)) For the mandatory firearm and threat expulsions, "District school boards may assign the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school for the purpose of continuing educational services during the period of expulsion." (Sec. 1006.07(2)(l)–(m)) For a suspension tied to a pending felony or delinquency charge, "The suspension shall not affect the delivery of educational services to the student, and the student shall be immediately enrolled in a daytime alternative education program, or an evening alternative education program, where appropriate." (Sec. 1006.09(2))
- The record made, and the appeal route
- A completed expulsion follows the student: where a receiving district honors another district's or a private school's final order of expulsion, "A final order of expulsion shall be recorded in the records of the receiving school district." and "The expelled student applying for admission to the receiving school district shall be advised of the final order of expulsion." (Sec. 1006.07(1)(b)1–2) A route of review beyond the district school board's own decision is not stated in the sources reviewed (ss. 1003.01, 1006.07, 1006.08, 1006.09); the hearing itself runs under the state Administrative Procedure Act provisions cited above, whose own review routes were not captured in this review.
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer (evaluation, the IEP team, manifestation determination, services during removal, and the dispute routes) lives on this site's Florida special education page. The discipline statute itself states: "Any recommendation for the suspension or expulsion of a student with a disability must be made in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education." (Sec. 1006.09(5))
The four rows above answer the questions an experienced advocate raises first, from the state's own statutes, or record that a question is not answered in them.
Timelines, as stated in the sources
All quoted; none calculated. From the 2025 Florida Statutes, ss. 1003.01 and 1006.07–1006.09, as retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
On the length of a suspension: "a period not to exceed 10 school days" for either out-of-school or in-school suspension. (Sec. 1003.01(13))
On notice of a suspension: the principal "shall make a good faith effort to immediately inform a student's parent by telephone of a student's suspension and the reasons for the suspension. Each suspension and the reasons for the suspension shall be reported in writing within 24 hours to the student's parent by United States mail." "Each suspension and the reasons for the suspension shall also be reported in writing within 24 hours to the district school superintendent." (Sec. 1006.09(1)(b))
On extending a suspension while an expulsion is pending: "the district school superintendent may extend the suspension assigned by the principal beyond 10 school days if such suspension period expires before the next regular or special meeting of the district school board." (Sec. 1006.08(1))
On a suspension tied to a pending felony or delinquency charge: it "may exceed 10 days, as determined by the district school superintendent." (Sec. 1006.09(2))
On the length of a mandatory firearm or threat expulsion: "not less than 1 full year" (Sec. 1006.07(2)(l)–(m))
On the length of expulsion generally: "a period of time not to exceed the remainder of the term or school year and 1 additional year of attendance." (Sec. 1003.01(10))
What any of this means for a particular situation is for the agency and its processes to determine.
District delegation map
The statute writes the frame and expressly hands the detail to each district school board. Each entry below is a question a district's own rules or code of student conduct answers, with the delegating text quoted. No district's code of student conduct is captured or quoted here.
Discipline rules generally. The district school board shall "Adopt rules for the control, discipline, in-school suspension, suspension, and expulsion of students and decide all cases recommended for expulsion." (Sec. 1006.07(1)(a))
Whether a suspension is possible at all. "The principal or the principal's designee may suspend a student only in accordance with the rules of the district school board." (Sec. 1006.09(1)(b)) What counts as a "serious breach of conduct" excusing the usual pre-suspension effort at alternative measures is likewise "as defined by rules of the district school board." (Sec. 1006.09(1)(b))
The code of student conduct itself. The board must "Adopt a code of student conduct for elementary schools and a code of student conduct for middle and high schools and distribute the appropriate code to all teachers, school personnel, students, and parents, at the beginning of every school year." (Sec. 1006.07(2)) The code's required contents — grounds for discipline, procedures, dress code consequences, wireless-device rules, and the rest — are listed at Sec. 1006.07(2)(a)–(o).
The method of parent notification. "The district school board may adopt a policy that allows a parent to agree to an alternative method of notification." (Sec. 1006.09(1)(b))
Whether a mandatory one-year expulsion is shortened. For the firearm and threat expulsions, the one-year term may be modified only if the district school superintendent chooses to "request the district school board to modify the requirement by assigning the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school", in writing, on a finding that it is in the best interest of the student and the school system. (Sec. 1006.07(2)(l)–(m))
Whether an out-of-state or out-of-district expulsion is honored. A receiving district school board has "the authority as the district school board of a receiving school district to honor the final order of expulsion or dismissal of a student by any in-state or out-of-state public district school board or private school, or lab school," and its superintendent "may recommend to the district school board that the final order of expulsion be waived and the student be admitted to the school district, or that the final order of expulsion be honored and the student not be admitted to the school district." (Sec. 1006.07(1)(b))
Records access, as stated in the sources
The statute states two records facts directly. On an expelled student who enrolls in a new district: "A final order of expulsion shall be recorded in the records of the receiving school district." and "The expelled student applying for admission to the receiving school district shall be advised of the final order of expulsion." (Sec. 1006.07(1)(b)1–2) On the delinquency and felony information a court sends the superintendent under Sec. 1006.08(2): "Except to the extent necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of other students, the information obtained by the district school superintendent pursuant to this section may be released only to appropriate school personnel or as otherwise provided by law." (Sec. 1006.08(3))
Expungement of a disciplinary or expulsion record is not stated in the sources reviewed (ss. 1003.01, 1006.07, 1006.08, 1006.09). Florida's general student-records statute (s. 1002.22) was not captured in this review; that is a finding about this review's scope, not an assertion about what it says. Federal records rights under FERPA are federal and are not restated here.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Statutes s. 1003.01 (Definitions) | flsenate.gov | 2025 Florida Statutes; retrieved Sep 1, 2026 |
| Florida Statutes s. 1006.07 (District school board duties) | flsenate.gov | 2025 Florida Statutes; retrieved Sep 1, 2026 |
| Florida Statutes s. 1006.08 (District school superintendent duties) | flsenate.gov | 2025 Florida Statutes; retrieved Sep 1, 2026 |
| Florida Statutes s. 1006.09 (Duties of school principal) | flsenate.gov | 2025 Florida Statutes; retrieved Sep 1, 2026 |
| Chapter 120 hearing provisions the sections cite (ss. 120.569, 120.57(2)) | cited in the sections above | capture pending |
| Florida Statutes s. 1002.22 (student records generally) | cited in this review, not captured | capture pending |
| FDOE guidance on student discipline | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| District codes of student conduct | each district, per s. 1006.07(2) | never captured; the delegation map above points at them |
Change log
Sep 1, 2026 · Deepened to a full page (discipline-layer deepening pass). Re-captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/florida-discipline.json: ss. 1003.01, 1006.07, 1006.08, and 1006.09 of the 2025 Florida Statutes from flsenate.gov, unchanged in substance from the Aug 29, 2026 baseline capture (dates refreshed only). Built sections 01–02 (the framework route by route, the four hoisted process rows, the timelines section, the district delegation map, and records access) from those same four sections; no additional source was needed to reach full depth. Findings recorded: (1) expulsion hearings run under the state's Administrative Procedure Act provisions (ss. 120.569, 120.57(2)), cited in the captured sections but not themselves captured, and a route of review beyond the district school board's decision is not stated in the sections reviewed; (2) suspension notice runs on a 24-hour clock to both parent and superintendent, and a superintendent may extend a suspension past 10 school days while a board decision is pending; (3) the firearm and threat provisions set a mandatory one-year expulsion floor that only the district school board, on the superintendent's written request, may shorten; (4) the statute states inter-district recording of a final expulsion order but does not state expungement of any disciplinary record, and the state's general student-records statute (s. 1002.22) was not captured in this review; (5) no state office or contact for parents appears in the sources. Not yet captured: ch. 120 provisions, s. 1002.22, and FDOE guidance. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Aug 29, 2026 · Baseline page created (discipline-layer breadth sprint). Captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/florida-discipline.json: Florida Statutes ss. 1003.01, 1006.07, 1006.08, and 1006.09 from flsenate.gov, which serves the sections statically. Findings recorded: (1) expulsion hearings are placed under the state's administrative-procedure provisions (ss. 120.569, 120.57(2)), which are cited in the captured sections but not yet themselves captured; (2) a route of review beyond the district school board is not stated in the sections reviewed; (3) no state office or contact for parents appears in the sources; (4) suspension notice runs on stated clocks (written report to the parent and superintendent within 24 hours) to be carried in the full page's timelines section. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed 2026-08-29. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Oct 6, 2026 · Internet Archive captures recorded. Captures requested on 2026-09-06 by an automated capture pass and recorded this date; no human review is claimed for this entry. No quotation, date, finding or link above was changed by it. Each capture below was requested through Save Page Now and then confirmed to play back. Captures added: flsenate.gov → https://web.archive.org/web/20260906124825/https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/1003.01; 2025 Florida Statutes → https://web.archive.org/web/20260906124910/https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/1006.07; flsenate.gov → https://web.archive.org/web/20260906124947/https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/1006.08; flsenate.gov → https://web.archive.org/web/20260906125023/https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/1006.09. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.