Indiana — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- Suspension is the principal's and capped: "A principal may suspend a student for not more than ten (10) school days under section 14, 15, or 16 of this chapter. However, the student may be suspended for more than ten (10) school days under section 23 of this chapter." (IC 20-33-8-18(a)) Section 23 itself sits outside this page's captured range; see the source map. Expulsion is bounded by the school calendar rather than by a day count: "a student may not be expelled for a longer period than the remainder of the school year in which the expulsion took effect if the misconduct occurs during the first semester. If a student is expelled during the second semester, the expulsion remains in effect for summer school and may remain in effect for the first semester of the following school year, unless otherwise modified or terminated by order of the governing body." (IC 20-33-8-20(a)) On what functions as this statute's emergency-removal line: "When misconduct requires immediate removal of a student, the meeting under subsection (b) must begin as soon as reasonably possible after the student's suspension." (IC 20-33-8-18(c)) The grounds are stated broadly and then left to local rules: "The following are the grounds for student suspension or expulsion, subject to the procedural requirements of this chapter and as stated by school corporation rules:" "Student misconduct." "Substantial disobedience." (IC 20-33-8-14(a)) One expulsion is mandated: a student identified as bringing a firearm or destructive device to school, or in possession of one on school property, "must be expelled for at least one (1) calendar year, with the return of the student to be at the beginning of the first school semester after the end of the one (1) year period." (IC 20-33-8-16(d)) A student who brings or possesses a deadly weapon "may be expelled for not more than one (1) calendar year." (IC 20-33-8-16(f))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- Suspension is the principal's; expulsion runs through a meeting the superintendent conducts or assigns. The statute states who may conduct it and who may not: a superintendent "may conduct an expulsion meeting or appoint one (1) of the following to conduct an expulsion meeting:" "Legal counsel." or "A member of the administrative staff if the member:" "has not expelled the student during the current school year; and" "was not involved in the events giving rise to the expulsion." That person carries hearing powers: the superintendent or designee "may issue subpoenas, compel the attendance of witnesses, and administer oaths to persons giving testimony at an expulsion meeting." (IC 20-33-8-19(a)) A written appeal from the expulsion meeting's outcome goes to the governing body — "If the student or the student's parent not later than ten (10) days of receipt of a notice of action taken under subsection (c) makes a written appeal to the governing body, the governing body:" "shall hold a meeting to consider:" the record and the parties' arguments — "unless the governing body has voted under subsection (f) not to hear appeals of actions taken under subsection (c)". (IC 20-33-8-19(d)) The court's role is stated narrowly: "Judicial review of a governing body's action under this chapter by the circuit or superior court of the county in which a student who is the subject of the governing body's action resides is limited to the issue of whether the governing body acted without following the procedure required under this chapter." (IC 20-33-8-21)
No state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the sources; that absence is the finding. - Sources last checked
- Oct 20, 2026
Reproduced from the state's own statute quoted below: potentially relevant official sources, not a determination of which one governs any situation.
This page assembles what Indiana publishes in statute about K-12 school discipline: who may remove a student and how, the meetings and notice the statute requires, what continues during a removal, where the appeal route runs, and, because the statute assigns some of the detail to each school corporation's own rules, a map of the questions answered only there. The fullest single statement is Indiana Code Title 20, Article 33, Chapter 8, published by the General Assembly as the 2025 Indiana Code with no separate revision date in the document. The chapter's own vocabulary appears throughout: the school corporation, the governing body, the expulsion meeting, and legal settlement. School corporation rules add 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 Indiana special education page. Confirm applicability with the school corporation 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
Grounds for suspension or expulsion (Sec. 14). "The following are the grounds for student suspension or expulsion, subject to the procedural requirements of this chapter and as stated by school corporation rules:" "Student misconduct." "Substantial disobedience." The grounds reach a student "on school grounds immediately before or during school hours, or immediately after school hours, or at any other time when the school is being used by a school group;" "off school grounds at a school activity, function, or event; or" "traveling to or from school or a school activity, function, or event."
Unlawful activity by a student (Sec. 15). "In addition to the grounds specified in section 14 of this chapter, a student may be suspended or expelled for engaging in unlawful activity on or off school grounds if:" "the unlawful activity may reasonably be considered to be an interference with school purposes or an educational function; or" "the student's removal is necessary to restore order or protect persons on school property;" reaching "an unlawful activity during weekends, holidays, other school breaks, and the summer period when a student may not be attending classes or other school functions."
Firearms, deadly weapons, and destructive devices (Sec. 16). The mandatory one-year firearm and destructive-device expulsion, its superintendent's-discretion modification, and the deadly-weapon expulsion (up to one calendar year) are quoted in the docket. A superintendent or designee "shall immediately notify the appropriate law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the property where the school is located" for a firearm or destructive-device case, and "may give similar notice" for a deadly-weapon case; "the law enforcement agency shall begin an investigation and take appropriate action." A student with a disability who possesses a firearm on school property carries a separate procedural track: "A student with a disability (as defined in IC 20-35-1-8) who possesses a firearm on school property is subject to procedural safeguards under 20 U.S.C. 1415."
Limits on suspensions and expulsions for absence (Sec. 16.5). "Except as otherwise provided in IC 20-19-9-5 and IC 20-24-5-4.5(e), a public school, including a charter school, may not expel or suspend a student solely because the student is chronically absent or a habitual truant." The section itself is temporary: "This section expires July 1, 2026."
A student's legal settlement not in the attendance area (Sec. 17). "A student may be expelled from school if the student's legal settlement is not in the attendance area of the school corporation where the student is enrolled."
Maximum term of suspension; procedure; student assignments (Sec. 18). The ten-school-day cap and the reference to a longer suspension under section 23 are quoted in the docket; section 23 is outside this page's captured range. The pre-suspension meeting, the immediate-removal rule, the post-suspension written statement, and continued schoolwork are quoted in section 02 below.
Expulsion procedure; appeals; preparation of list (Sec. 19). Who may conduct an expulsion meeting, the notice of the right to appear, the written summary of evidence, the appeal to the governing body, and the governing body's own discretion whether to hear such appeals are quoted in the docket and in section 02 below. Separately, each school corporation carries an annual duty: "Each school corporation shall annually prepare a list of:" "alternative education programs in the same county in which the school corporation is located or a county immediately adjacent to the county in which the school corporation is located; and" "virtual charter schools;" in which an expelled student may enroll, with the list including "contact information for the entities described" and notice "that the student may be required to comply with IC 20-33-2 or any statute relating to compulsory school attendance". That list "shall be provided to the student or the student's parent at the expulsion meeting", or "mailed to the student's residence" if the student or parent does not attend.
Maximum term of expulsion; reenrollment; reinstatement review (Sec. 20). The calendar-bound expulsion term is quoted in the docket. On reenrollment: "The appropriate authorities may require that a student who is at least sixteen (16) years of age and who wishes to reenroll after an expulsion or an exclusion attend an alternative program." The reinstatement-review timelines and their scope are quoted below.
Scope of judicial review (Sec. 21). Quoted in the docket: review is "limited to the issue of whether the governing body acted without following the procedure required under this chapter."
The Indiana Department of Education separately publishes a School Safety Laws for Reference document as a PDF; its direct capture is pending (see the source map).
The published process
- Notice of charges and the hearing right before long-term exclusion
- Before a suspension, "A principal may not suspend a student before the principal affords the student an opportunity for a meeting during which the student is entitled to the following:" "A written or an oral statement of the charges against the student." "If the student denies the charges, a summary of the evidence against the student." "An opportunity for the student to explain the student's conduct." Where the removal cannot wait, the meeting follows instead of preceding it: "When misconduct requires immediate removal of a student, the meeting under subsection (b) must begin as soon as reasonably possible after the student's suspension." (IC 20-33-8-18(b), (c)) Before an expulsion, "An expulsion may take place only after the student and the student's parent are given notice of their right to appear at an expulsion meeting with the superintendent or a person designated under subsection (a)." That notice must "contain the reasons for the expulsion; and" "contain the procedure for requesting an expulsion meeting". It must also be "made by:" "certified mail or by personal delivery" or, under stated conditions, by electronic mail; where the school cannot confirm within forty-eight hours that an emailed notice was opened and responded to, notice reverts to certified mail or personal delivery. (IC 20-33-8-19(b))
- Services during exclusion
- "If a student is suspended, the student is required to complete all assignments and school work assigned during the period of the student's suspension." The principal or designee must ensure the student receives "notice of any assignments or school work due;" "teacher contact information in the event the student has questions regarding the assignments or school work; and" "credit, in the same manner that a student who is not suspended would receive, for any assignments or school work assigned during the period of the student's suspension that the student completes." "A student may be allowed to make up missed tests or quizzes when the student returns to school." (IC 20-33-8-18(e)) Following a suspension, "the principal shall send a written statement to the parent of the suspended student describing the following:" "The student's misconduct." "The action taken by the principal." (IC 20-33-8-18(d))
- The record made, and the appeal route
- At the expulsion meeting, the person conducting it "shall make a written summary of the evidence heard at the expulsion meeting;" "may take action that the individual finds appropriate;" and "must give notice of the action taken" to the student and parent. (IC 20-33-8-19(c)) From there, "If the student or the student's parent not later than ten (10) days of receipt of a notice of action taken under subsection (c) makes a written appeal to the governing body, the governing body:" "shall hold a meeting to consider:" "the written summary of evidence prepared under subsection (c)(1); and" "the arguments of the principal and the student or the student's parent;" "unless the governing body has voted under subsection (f) not to hear appeals of actions taken under subsection (c)". "The decision of the governing body may be appealed only under section 21 of this chapter." (IC 20-33-8-19(d)) Whether that internal appeal exists at all is the governing body's own choice: "The governing body may vote to not hear appeals of actions taken under subsection (c). If the governing body votes to not hear appeals, subsequent to the date on which the vote is taken, a student or parent may appeal only under section 21 of this chapter." (IC 20-33-8-19(f)) From either path, judicial review is limited to whether the required procedure was followed, quoted in the docket. (IC 20-33-8-21)
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer lives on this site's Indiana special education page. The discipline statute itself states a separate track for one circumstance: "A student with a disability (as defined in IC 20-35-1-8) who possesses a firearm on school property is subject to procedural safeguards under 20 U.S.C. 1415." (IC 20-33-8-16(h))
The four rows above answer the questions an experienced advocate raises first, from the state's own statute, or record that a question is not answered in it.
Timelines, as stated in the sources
All quoted; none calculated. From Indiana Code Title 20, Article 33, Chapter 8 (sections 14 through 21), as retrieved Sep 3, 2026.
On the length of a suspension: "not more than ten (10) school days" under sections 14, 15, or 16, with a longer suspension running "under section 23 of this chapter" — a section outside this page's captured range. (IC 20-33-8-18(a))
On the immediate-removal meeting: "as soon as reasonably possible after the student's suspension." (IC 20-33-8-18(c))
On confirming an emailed expulsion notice: "within forty-eight (48) hours from the time the electronic mail was sent" under subdivision (1)(B). (IC 20-33-8-19(b))
On the deadline to appeal an expulsion-meeting decision to the governing body: "not later than ten (10) days of receipt of a notice of action taken under subsection (c)". (IC 20-33-8-19(d))
On the mandatory firearm or destructive-device expulsion: "at least one (1) calendar year", with the student's return "to be at the beginning of the first school semester after the end of the one (1) year period". (IC 20-33-8-16(d))
On the deadly-weapon expulsion: "not more than one (1) calendar year." (IC 20-33-8-16(f))
On reviewing an expulsion that straddles the school year: an expulsion taking effect "more than three (3) weeks before the beginning of the second semester of a school year must be reviewed before the beginning of the second semester", and one that "will remain in effect during the first semester of the following school year must be reviewed before the beginning of the school year". (IC 20-33-8-20(b), (c))
On the truancy-based discipline limit's own sunset: "This section expires July 1, 2026." (IC 20-33-8-16.5(b))
What any of this means for a particular situation is for the school corporation, the agencies, and their processes to determine.
District delegation map
The statute writes most of the procedure directly rather than assigning it to district policy, and only two questions in the sections captured here are expressly handed to school corporation rules or the local governing body. Each entry below is a question a school corporation's own rules answer, with the delegating text quoted. No school corporation's discipline rules are captured or quoted here.
What conduct counts as grounds for suspension or expulsion. "The following are the grounds for student suspension or expulsion, subject to the procedural requirements of this chapter and as stated by school corporation rules:" "Student misconduct." "Substantial disobedience." (IC 20-33-8-14(a))
Whether the governing body hears internal appeals from an expulsion meeting's decision at all. "The governing body may vote to not hear appeals of actions taken under subsection (c). If the governing body votes to not hear appeals, subsequent to the date on which the vote is taken, a student or parent may appeal only under section 21 of this chapter." (IC 20-33-8-19(f))
Records access, as stated in the sources
The sections captured here (IC 20-33-8-14 through 20-33-8-21) do not address inspection, correction, or expungement of discipline records. Indiana Code Article 33 includes a separate chapter on parental access to student records (IC 20-33-7) in the same Title 20 document, but it sits outside the recipe's captured element range — its text is not in this packet. This page records that as a capture gap rather than a finding that Indiana law is silent on discipline-records access; the gap is carried in the source map and belongs to the recipe-backfill queue. Expungement of discipline records specifically: not addressed in the sections reviewed. Federal records rights under FERPA are federal and are not restated here.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana Code Title 20, Article 33, Chapter 8 (student discipline), sections 14 through 21, within the published Title 20 document | iga.in.gov | published as the 2025 Indiana Code; no separate revision date in the document; retrieved Sep 3, 2026 |
| IC 20-33-8-13.5 (bullying discipline rules), IC 20-33-8-22 (student due process) and IC 20-33-8-23 (suspension pending expulsion, cross-referenced by section 18(a)) | in the same chapter, outside the captured range of sections 14 through 21 | capture pending; the range in the recipe should widen when the full page quotes them |
| IC 20-33-7 (Parental Access to Student Records) | a different chapter within the same Title 20 document, outside the captured range | capture pending; would carry the records-access section |
| Indiana Department of Education, Indiana School Safety Laws for Reference | published by the Department as a PDF | capture pending |
| 511 IAC rules of the Indiana State Board of Education on student discipline | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| School corporation discipline rules | each school corporation, per IC 20-33-8-14(a) | never captured; the delegation map above points at them |
Change log
Sep 3, 2026 · Deepened to a full page (discipline-layer deepening pass). Re-captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/indiana-discipline.json: the same element-ranged extract of the General Assembly's published Title 20 document (IC 20-33-8-14 through 20-33-8-21), unchanged in substance from the Aug 30, 2026 baseline capture apart from the refreshed retrieval date; the recipe's element range also surfaced IC 20-33-8-16.5 and IC 20-33-8-17, which the baseline capture's own description had not named, and both are quoted on this page. 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 that same range; no additional source was fetched. Findings recorded: (1) the pre-suspension meeting and its three entitlements, and the rule that an immediate removal moves the meeting after the suspension rather than dispensing with it, are stated in the statute; (2) the expulsion meeting may be conducted by the superintendent, by legal counsel, or by an administrative staff member who has not expelled the student that year and was not involved in the events, with subpoena and oath powers; (3) an emailed expulsion notice reverts to certified mail or personal delivery if not confirmed opened and answered within forty-eight hours; (4) an appeal from the expulsion meeting's decision runs to the governing body within ten days, but the governing body may vote not to hear such appeals at all, after which the only route is the judicial review of IC 20-33-8-21, itself limited to whether the required procedure was followed; (5) the district delegation map is thin by this statute's own design — of the sections captured, only the grounds ("as stated by school corporation rules", IC 20-33-8-14(a)) and the governing body's discretion whether to hear internal appeals (IC 20-33-8-19(f)) are expressly assigned to school corporation or governing-body decision, and that thinness is recorded as a finding about how Indiana's statute is written rather than smoothed into a fuller map; (6) IC 20-33-8-18(a) itself cross-references section 23 for suspensions beyond ten school days, and that section is outside the captured range; (7) records access could not be built from the sections captured: Indiana Code Article 33 carries a separate chapter on parental access to student records (IC 20-33-7) in the same Title 20 document, but it sits outside the recipe's element range and its text is not in this packet — recorded as a capture gap for the recipe-backfill queue, not as a finding that Indiana law is silent on the question; (8) no state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the sources. Not yet captured: IC 20-33-8-13.5, IC 20-33-8-22, IC 20-33-8-23, IC 20-33-7, the Department's School Safety Laws PDF, and 511 IAC's discipline rules. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Aug 30, 2026 · Baseline page created (discipline-layer breadth sprint). Captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/indiana-discipline.json: the General Assembly's published Title 20 document. Findings recorded: (1) Indiana caps a principal's suspension at ten school days and bounds expulsion by the school calendar rather than by a day count, with the second-semester rule stated expressly; (2) the pre-suspension meeting and its three entitlements are stated in statute, as is the rule that an immediate removal moves the meeting after the suspension rather than dispensing with it; (3) the expulsion meeting may be conducted by the superintendent, by legal counsel, or by an administrative staff member who has not expelled the student that year and was not involved in the events — the disqualifications are stated rather than left to policy; (4) the person conducting the meeting may issue subpoenas, compel attendance, and administer oaths; (5) judicial review is limited by statute to whether the governing body followed the required procedure, which is narrower than the review several other states leave open, and is recorded as the statute states it; (6) the grounds themselves — student misconduct and substantial disobedience — apply "as stated by school corporation rules", a delegation that will anchor the full page's delegation map; (7) no state office or parent contact appears in the sources. Capture note: the General Assembly's code browser is client-rendered and returns a 691-byte application shell to any fetch, including of its own per-title, per-article, and per-chapter addresses; the only first-party address that serves the text is the static whole-title document the application itself requests. Captured whole, that document puts roughly 3.7 MB of Title 20 in the packet to hold eight sections of it, and every later review pass would then re-hash and re-diff the whole title, with the diffs dominated by amendments to statutes this page does not quote. Rather than narrow it by a local extraction the project could not re-run, capture.py gained a declared element_range field on this state — the HTML counterpart of the PDF extractor's existing pages field, with the same lint rules, the same place in the recipe digest, and its own self-test. The recipe names the run from the section 14 heading through the section before 22, and the packet holds 16.6 KB. If the General Assembly later publishes a per-chapter address, the recipe should move to it and the change belongs in this log. Not yet built, pending the deepening pass: sections 01–02 (framework, hoisted rows, timelines), the district delegation map, and records access. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed 2026-08-30. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.