Maine — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- Suspension is capped and then capped again by grade. "The school board may authorize the principal to suspend students up to a maximum of 10 days for infractions of school rules, except that the school board may not authorize the principal to issue an out-of-school suspension to a student who is enrolled in grade 5 or below except as provided under subsection 9-A or unless the principal determines that there is an imminent danger of serious physical injury to the student or others and less restrictive interventions would be ineffective. An out-of-school suspension for a student who is enrolled in grade 5 or below may not exceed 3 days." (§1001(9)) Expulsion carries a grade exclusion of its own: a school board "shall expel any student, except a student who is enrolled in grade 5 or below" on the grounds the subsection lists, and the board "may authorize the superintendent or principal to modify, in writing, the requirement for expulsion of a student on a case-by-case basis." Expulsion is bounded by the calendar or left open with conditions: a board may expel "for a specific period of time not to exceed the total number of instructional days approved by the school board for the current school year", or "for an unspecified period of time and authorize the superintendent to provide the expelled student with a reentry plan that specifies the conditions that must be met in order for the student to be readmitted to school after the expulsion." (§1001(9-C))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- Suspension is the principal's, on the board's authorization; expulsion is the school board's own, after a hearing the superintendent prepares. Before that hearing the superintendent must "Provide written notice to the parents and the student of:" "The date, time and location of the hearing;" "A description of the incident or incidents that occasioned the expulsion hearing;" "The student's and parents' right to review the school records prior to the hearing;" "A description of the hearing process;" "An explanation of the consequences of an expulsion; and" "A list of available free and low-cost legal services, which must be created and updated annually by the department;". The superintendent must also "Invite the parents and student to a meeting prior to the expulsion hearing to discuss the procedures of the hearing." (§1001(8-A)(A)) The hearing itself carries stated rights: "The student has the right to present and cross-examine witnesses;" "The student has the right to an attorney or other representation; and" "Witnesses must be sworn in and the chair of the hearing has the authority to swear in witnesses." (§1001(8-A)(B)) The decision comes by certified mail: "After a hearing on the expulsion, the school board shall provide written notice of its decision to the parents and the student by certified mail." (§1001(8-A)(C))
No appeal forum beyond the school board, and no state office, phone number, or email for parents, appears in the sources; those absences are the finding. - Sources last checked
- Sep 22, 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 Maine publishes in statute about K-12 school discipline: who may suspend or expel a student and how, the notice and hearing the statute requires, what continues during and after a removal, and, because the due process subsection runs under a districtwide policy the board itself must adopt, a map of the questions answered only in that policy. Maine is one of the few states in this collection whose statute requires that the family be handed a route to a lawyer: the pre-hearing notice must include "A list of available free and low-cost legal services, which must be created and updated annually by the department". Expulsion is framed as a duty rather than a power — the board "shall expel" a student, other than one enrolled in grade 5 or below, on the grounds quoted below — and the same subsection then states that a student "may be readmitted on satisfactory evidence that the behavior that was the cause of the student being expelled will not likely recur." (§1001(9)) For a student with an IEP or Section 504 plan, the disability layer lives on this site's Maine special education page; this statute's own cross-references to federal disability law are quoted below, under services during exclusion and the IEP/504 row. Confirm applicability with the school administrative unit 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
Suspension (§1001(9)). The principal's ten-day cap and the grade-5-and-below limits are quoted in the docket. The board's modification authority and the substance-use policy option are quoted in the docket and the delegation map below.
Expulsion (§1001(9)). The board "shall expel any student, except a student who is enrolled in grade 5 or below" who is "Who is deliberately disobedient or deliberately disorderly;" "For infractions of violence;" "Who possesses on school property a firearm as defined in Title 17‑A, section 2, subsection 12‑A or a dangerous weapon as defined in Title 17‑A, section 2, subsection 9 without permission of a school official;" who "with use of any other dangerous weapon as defined in Title 17‑A, section 2, subsection 9, paragraph A, intentionally or knowingly causes injury or accompanies use of a weapon with a threat to cause injury; or" "Who possesses, furnishes or trafficks in any scheduled drug as defined in Title 17‑A, chapter 45." Readmission and the calendar-bound or open-ended expulsion choice are quoted in the docket.
Federal Gun-Free Schools Act expulsion (§1001(9-A)). "The school boards shall adopt a policy for expelling a student who is determined to have brought a firearm, as defined in 18 United States Code, Section 921, to school or to have possessed a firearm at school and for referring the matter to the appropriate local law enforcement agency." The mandatory one-year floor, its case-by-case modification, and the IDEA cross-reference for a disabled student's placement change are quoted under the IEP/504 row below. This route does not foreclose instruction: "Offering instructional activities related to firearms or from allowing a firearm to be brought to school for instructional activities sanctioned by the school board and for which the school board has adopted appropriate safeguards to ensure student safety; or" "Providing educational services in an alternative setting to a student who has been expelled" are both preserved. An immediate route exists alongside the hearing process: "In accordance with the proper investigation and due process provisions required in subsection 9, a principal may suspend immediately for good cause a student who is determined to have brought a firearm to school or to have possessed a firearm at school under this subsection." (9-A(C))
Disciplinary sanctions for children with disabilities (§1001(9-B)). A distinct, shorter route runs alongside the general scheme: "Notwithstanding the duties of school administrative units as described in section 7202, the school board may authorize the superintendent, principal or assistant principal to enforce this subsection by allowing the superintendent, principal or assistant principal to suspend a child with a disability up to a maximum of 10 days individually or cumulatively for infractions of school rules." Quoted further under services during exclusion and the IEP/504 row.
Reentry after expulsion (§1001(9-C)). The two board options — a fixed period or an unspecified period paired with a reentry plan — are quoted in the docket. Where a reentry plan is required, the statute states who builds it, how the family is notified, what happens if they do not attend, and how progress is reviewed; all quoted in the timelines and process sections below.
Professional services after expulsion for a child with a disability (§1001(9-D)). "Nothing in subsection 9‑C may be interpreted to require payment from the parents of an expelled student for professional services determined by the superintendent to be necessary to establish the student's readiness to return to school if:" "The student is a child with a disability who has been determined to be eligible for a free, appropriate public education in accordance with 34 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 300.530, Paragraph (d); or" "The school administrative unit did not have knowledge that the student was a child with a disability prior to taking disciplinary measures against the student and, based on a subsequent evaluation, the student is determined to be a child with a disability who is eligible for a free, appropriate public education in accordance with 34 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 300.534, Paragraph (d)."
The published process
- Notice and hearing before exclusion
- The pre-hearing notice list and the hearing rights are quoted in full in the docket (§1001(8-A)(A)-(B)). Suspension carries its own, separate notice duty, stated among the districtwide policy requirements rather than in the due process subsection: "Provide written notice to the parents of a student when a student is suspended from school, regardless of whether the suspension is an in-school or out-of-school suspension." (§1001(15-A)(D))
- Services during exclusion
- "Nothing in this subsection or subsection 9‑C prevents a school board from providing educational services in an alternative setting to a student who has been expelled." (§1001(9)) The same preservation is stated for a firearm expulsion, quoted above. For the disabled-student suspension route, the statute states a limit rather than a guarantee: "When a child with a disability is suspended for 10 days or less individually or cumulatively within a school year for a violation of school rules, the school board is not required to provide a tutor, transportation or any other aspect of the student's special education program." (9-B) Discipline of children with disabilities is stated to be governed alongside this section by federal law, quoted under the IEP/504 row.
- The record made, and the appeal route
- "After a hearing on the expulsion, the school board shall provide written notice of its decision to the parents and the student by certified mail. The notice of the school board's written decision may include a reentry plan developed in accordance with subsection 9‑C." (8-A(C)) No appeal forum beyond the school board appears in the sources reviewed; that absence is the finding. Where a reentry plan is ordered: "The reentry plan must be provided to the parents and the student in writing." "The superintendent shall designate a school employee to review the student's progress with the reentry plan at intervals of one month, 3 months and 6 months after the meeting and at other times as determined necessary by the designated school employee." (9-C(B)) The superintendent also carries a reporting duty distinct from any individual student's record: "The superintendent shall annually report data on the number of students who are expelled from school and the number of students who are readmitted to school after expulsion to the commissioner's consultant on truancy, dropouts and alternative education under section 5151." (9-C(B))
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer (evaluations, the IEP team, manifestation determination, services during removal, and the dispute routes) lives on this site's Maine special education page. This discipline statute cross-references federal disability law at three points. On a firearm expulsion: "A decision to change the placement of a student with a disability must be made in accordance with the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 United States Code, Section 1400 et seq." (9-A(A)) On the disabled-student suspension route: "They retain the authority to sanction a child with a disability as defined in section 7001, subsection 1‑A for misconduct that violates school rules." "Discipline of children with disabilities must be consistent with the requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 United States Code, Section 1415(k)." (9-B) On professional services after an expulsion, the payment exemption for an eligible or newly identified child with a disability is quoted above (9-D). The superintendent may also loop in the team: "The superintendent may, as appropriate, notify an individualized education program team for a child with a disability who has been expelled by a school board." (9-C(B))
The four rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser 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 20-A M.R.S. §1001 as retrieved Sep 22, 2026.
On the principal's suspension: "up to a maximum of 10 days for infractions of school rules" (9)
On an out-of-school suspension for grade 5 and below: "may not exceed 3 days." (9)
On the disabled-student suspension route: "up to a maximum of 10 days individually or cumulatively" (9-B)
On the firearm expulsion floor: "not less than one year". (9-A(A))
On a calendar-bound expulsion: "not to exceed the total number of instructional days approved by the school board for the current school year". (9-C(A))
On the legal-services list: "must be created and updated annually by the department". (8-A(A)(1)(f))
On reentry-plan progress reviews: "at intervals of one month, 3 months and 6 months after the meeting and at other times as determined necessary by the designated school employee." (9-C(B))
On the superintendent's reporting duty: "shall annually report data on the number of students who are expelled from school and the number of students who are readmitted to school after expulsion". (9-C(B))
What any of this means for a particular situation is for the school administrative unit, the department, and their processes to determine.
Assigned to district policy by the quoted provision
The due process subsection itself runs "in accordance with the districtwide disciplinary policies adopted by the school board pursuant to subsection 15‑A" (8-A), and subsection 15-A states what those policies must consider and require. Each entry below is a question a board's own policy answers, with the delegating text quoted. No district's own disciplinary policy is captured or quoted here.
The policy's overall focus. When revising its code-of-conduct consequences, "a school board shall consider districtwide disciplinary policies that:" "Focus on positive interventions and expectations and avoid focusing exclusively on unacceptable student behavior." (§1001(15-A)(A))
Positive and restorative practice, and the zero-tolerance limit. The policy should "Focus on positive and restorative interventions that are consistent with evidence-based practices rather than set punishments for specific behavior and avoid so-called zero-tolerance practices unless specifically required by federal or state laws, rules or regulations." (15-A(B))
Administrator discretion. The policy should "Allow administrators to use their discretion to fashion appropriate discipline that examines the circumstances pertinent to the case at hand". (15-A(C))
Written notice of any suspension. The policy must "Provide written notice to the parents of a student when a student is suspended from school, regardless of whether the suspension is an in-school or out-of-school suspension." (15-A(D)) The board must also "ensure that administrators inform students, parents and school personnel of the districtwide school disciplinary policies."
Whether the board requires substance use disorder services. "In addition to other powers and duties under this subsection, the school board may develop a policy requiring a student who is in violation of school substance use or possession rules to participate in substance use disorder services as provided in section 6606." (9)
Whether the expulsion requirement is modified case by case. "The school board may authorize the superintendent or principal to modify, in writing, the requirement for expulsion of a student on a case-by-case basis." (9) The firearm route carries the same board-granted authority, quoted in the docket.
Records access, as stated in the sources
The one records-access provision found is pre-hearing: the pre-hearing notice must state "The student's and parents' right to review the school records prior to the hearing". (§1001(8-A)(A)(1)(c)) No provision addressing inspection outside that pre-hearing window, correction, or expungement of a discipline record appears in the sources reviewed; that absence is recorded at the scope searched (§1001 in full). Federal records rights under FERPA are not restated here.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-A M.R.S. §1001 (duties of school boards; subsections 8-A, 9, 9-A, 9-B, 9-C, 9-D, 15-A on discipline) | legislature.maine.gov | public-law amendment notations on each subsection; no separate revision date on the section page; retrieved Sep 22, 2026 |
| The list of free and low-cost legal services the department must create and update annually | required by §1001(8-A)(A)(1)(f) | not located in this review; capture pending |
| 20-A M.R.S. §6606 (substance use disorder services) and Title 17-A definitions the subsection cites | cited in §1001(9) | capture pending |
| 20-A M.R.S. §7001(1-A) and §7202 (definition of a child with a disability; school administrative unit duties, cited in §1001(9-B)) | cited in §1001(9-B) | capture pending |
| Maine Department of Education guidance on student discipline | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| Districtwide disciplinary policies | each school administrative unit, per §1001(15-A) | never captured; see the delegation map |
Change log
Sep 22, 2026 · Deepened to full depth (discipline-layer deepening pass). Recaptured first-party under the standing recipe tools/recipes/maine-discipline.json (digest c9380718e997): 20-A M.R.S. §1001 whole, from the Legislature, unchanged transport and scope from the baseline. The recapture reproduced the Aug 30, 2026 baseline's quoted text unchanged and supplied three subsections the baseline had not yet quoted — 9-B (disciplinary sanctions for children with disabilities), 9-D (professional services payment exemption after an expulsion), and 15-A (districtwide disciplinary policy requirements, including a parent-notice duty for any suspension) — which this pass built out into sections 01–02, the timelines block, the district delegation map, and records access; no new source was fetched. Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) subsection 9-B states a distinct, shorter discipline route for a child with a disability — a ten-day cap, individually or cumulatively, with no requirement to provide a tutor, transportation, or other special-education services within that cap, and an express IDEA §1415(k) consistency requirement; this page states what the general discipline statute itself says about disabled students without restating the disability layer, which lives on the state's special education page; (2) subsection 15-A, not previously captured on this page, requires a districtwide suspension-notice duty distinct from the expulsion due-process notice — "written notice to the parents... when a student is suspended from school, regardless of whether the suspension is an in-school or out-of-school suspension" — a genuine finding this page had not carried; (3) the one records-access provision found is the pre-hearing right to review school records before an expulsion hearing; no broader inspection, correction, or expungement provision is stated; (4) the reentry-plan process (9-C(B)) carries its own detailed timeline — a certified or hand-delivered notice of the reentry meeting, what happens if the family does not attend, and progress reviews at one, three, and six months — none of it previously quoted; (5) the superintendent's annual reporting duty on expelled and readmitted students (9-C(B)(8)) is a state-reporting obligation distinct from any individual student's own record; (6) no appeal forum beyond the school board, and no state office or parent contact, appears anywhere in the section — the same absence the baseline recorded, now confirmed across the section's full text. Still uncaptured: the department's annually updated list of free and low-cost legal services, 20-A M.R.S. §6606, Title 17-A's weapon and drug definitions, §7001(1-A) and §7202, Department of Education guidance, and every school administrative unit's own disciplinary policy. 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/maine-discipline.json: 20-A M.R.S. §1001 from the Legislature, which serves the section statically at its own address. Findings recorded: (1) Maine carries its entire student-discipline scheme inside the section listing school boards' duties, rather than in a discipline chapter of its own; (2) the state caps a principal's suspension at 10 days and then bars out-of-school suspension for grade 5 and below except under the Gun-Free Schools subsection or on a stated imminent-danger finding, capping any such suspension at 3 days; (3) expulsion is stated as a duty — the board "shall expel" on the listed grounds — with grade 5 and below excepted and with the board able to authorize the superintendent or principal to modify the requirement in writing case by case; (4) the pre-hearing notice must include a list of available free and low-cost legal services that the department is required to create and update annually, one of only two states captured so far whose statute puts a route to counsel in the notice itself; that list is a state-published document and is listed as capture pending; (5) the hearing carries stated rights to present and cross-examine witnesses and to an attorney or other representation, with witnesses sworn; (6) the decision must be sent by certified mail, and expulsion may be for a fixed period not exceeding the year's instructional days or for an unspecified period paired with a reentry plan; (7) no appeal forum beyond the school board and no state office or parent contact appear in the sources, and both are recorded as not stated. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed 2026-08-30. 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: 20-A M.R.S. §1001 → https://web.archive.org/web/20260906133452/https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/20-A/title20-Asec1001.html. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.