North Dakota — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- On suspension: "A school district may suspend a student for up to ten days for insubordination, habitual indolence, disorderly conduct, or for violating a school district weapons policy." A twenty-day line applies to a student "who is enrolled in an alternative education program for which state per student payments are available". (N.D.C.C. § 15.1-19-09(2), (3)) On expulsion: "A school district may expel a student, including one enrolled in an alternative education program, for up to twelve months for insubordination, habitual indolence, or disorderly conduct. The school district shall consider the severity of the infraction, the age of the student, and the disciplinary history of the student to determine the duration of the expulsion." (N.D.C.C. § 15.1-19-09(4)) On firearms the weapons section sets a floor: the district's policy must "Require a student who possesses a firearm in violation of this section to be expelled for at least one year", while authorizing the superintendent or principal "to modify an expulsion for firearms possession under this section on a case-by-case basis in accordance with criteria established by the board." (N.D.C.C. § 15.1-19-10(2)(b), (c)) The statute states no separate emergency-removal route.
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- The decision-makers named are all local. Expulsion runs through "a school board or its designated hearing officer", and the review route is stated in one sentence: "If a designated hearing officer orders that a student be expelled, the student may seek a review of the decision by the school board, based on the record of the expulsion hearing." (N.D.C.C. § 15.1-19-10(2)(c)) Participation is stated: "A student's parent or representative must be allowed to participate in the expulsion hearing." (N.D.C.C. § 15.1-19-09(1)) No appeal beyond the school board, and no role for the superintendent of public instruction or any other state office, appears in these sections.
No state office address, phone number, or email for parents appears in the sources; that absence is the finding. - Sources last checked
- Oct 6, 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 North Dakota publishes in statute about K-12 school discipline: who may suspend or expel a student and under what ceiling, the hearing the statute requires, what continues during an expulsion, where the review route runs, and, because the statute assigns most of the operative detail to each district, a map of the questions the legislature hands to district policy. The fullest single statement is N.D.C.C. Chapter 15.1-19, carried in the Legislative Branch's own chapter PDF, which publishes no edition date of its own and instead carries session-law notations through S.L. 2025. North Dakota's statute is unusually thin at this layer and unusually explicit about why: the procedure a family will actually meet is the district's, written under a legislative instruction to adopt one. District rules and policies add the operative 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 North Dakota 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
Suspension (§ 15.1-19-09(2), (3)). "A school district may suspend a student for up to ten days for insubordination, habitual indolence, disorderly conduct, or for violating a school district weapons policy." A longer, twenty-day ceiling applies to "a student who is enrolled in an alternative education program for which state per student payments are available", for the same four grounds.
Expulsion for insubordination, habitual indolence, or disorderly conduct (§ 15.1-19-09(4)). "A school district may expel a student, including one enrolled in an alternative education program, for up to twelve months for insubordination, habitual indolence, or disorderly conduct. The school district shall consider the severity of the infraction, the age of the student, and the disciplinary history of the student to determine the duration of the expulsion." Reinstatement before the full term runs is a district choice: "If the student satisfies the conditions for reinstatement established by the school district, if any, the school district may review and reduce the duration of the expulsion." The same subsection cross-references the weapons route: "A student who violates the school district's weapons policy may be expelled under section 15.1-19-10."
The expulsion hearing requirement applies to every expulsion rule, not only weapons cases. § 15.1-19-09(1) ties the district's own expulsion rules to the weapons section's hearing procedure: "The board of a school district shall adopt rules regarding the suspension and expulsion of a student. The rules for expulsion must provide for a procedural due process hearing under subsection 2 of section 15.1-19-10 before the determination to expel a student is made." Read together with § 15.1-19-10(2)(c) below, this means the statute's one hearing deadline and review route govern expulsion generally, under the chapter as captured, not only the weapons-and-firearms route where that hearing procedure is separately codified.
Weapons and firearms possession (§ 15.1-19-10). Each district must have a policy: "The board of each school district shall adopt a policy governing the possession of weapons and firearms on school property or at a school function and provide for the punishment of any student found to be in violation of the policy." That policy must, among other things, "Prohibit the possession of a dangerous weapon or a firearm by a student on school property and at school functions and provide for the punishment of any student found to be in violation" and "Require a student who possesses a firearm in violation of this section to be expelled for at least one year", subject to case-by-case modification "in accordance with criteria established by the board." The policy must also "Include a referral mechanism to the criminal justice or juvenile delinquency system for a student who possesses a firearm in violation of this subsection." The section states its own relation to disability law: actions under it "may not conflict with state special education laws or with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act". It also carves out an exception: the section "does not apply to any student participating in a school-sponsored shooting sport, provided the student informs the school principal of the student's participation and the student complies with all requirements set by the principal regarding the safe handling and storage of the firearm."
Safety plan after a student sexual offense (§ 15.1-19-30). Outside the general suspension-and-expulsion scheme, this section lets a school respond to an adjudicated or convicted "responsible student" with a safety plan, which "may include" several measures, among them "Holding an expulsion hearing for the responsible student which grants procedural due process to the responsible student as provided by law and within the time period prescribed under section 15.1-19-09. For a misdemeanor offense, before holding an expulsion hearing, school administration shall review the offense to determine whether an expulsion hearing is warranted." As recorded at baseline, this cross-reference names § 15.1-19-09 as the source of the hearing's timing, but § 15.1-19-09 states maximum suspension and expulsion durations rather than a hearing deadline — the chapter's only hearing deadline sits in § 15.1-19-10(2)(c). The discrepancy is recorded as the state writes it; this page does not resolve which period the cross-reference means.
The published process
- Notice and hearing before exclusion
- The chapter states no notice-of-charges or hearing requirement before a suspension under § 15.1-19-09(2)–(3); that absence is the finding. Before an expulsion, participation is guaranteed: "A student's parent or representative must be allowed to participate in the expulsion hearing." (§ 15.1-19-09(1)) The hearing itself, and its one stated deadline, run under the weapons section's procedure, which § 15.1-19-09(1) requires every district's expulsion rules to use: "Before expelling a student, a school board or its designated hearing officer, within ten days of the student's suspension, shall provide the student with a hearing at which time the school board or its designated hearing officer shall take testimony and consider evidence, including the existence of mitigating circumstances." (§ 15.1-19-10(2)(c))
- Services during exclusion
- Stated only for expulsion under the weapons section, and there only as a district option: "If a school district expels a student under this section, the district may authorize the provision of educational services to the student in an alternative setting." (§ 15.1-19-10(3)) For suspension under § 15.1-19-09(2)–(3), and for expulsion for insubordination, habitual indolence, or disorderly conduct under § 15.1-19-09(4), services during the exclusion are not stated in the sources reviewed; N.D.C.C. Chapter 15.1-19 was searched and states no requirement either way.
- The record made, and the appeal route
- "If a designated hearing officer orders that a student be expelled, the student may seek a review of the decision by the school board, based on the record of the expulsion hearing." (§ 15.1-19-10(2)(c)) Because § 15.1-19-09(1) requires every district's expulsion rules to use this hearing procedure, the review-by-the-board route stated here is the one the chapter supplies for expulsion generally, as captured. No appeal beyond the school board, and no role for the superintendent of public instruction or any other state office, is stated in these sections; that absence is the finding.
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer lives on this site's North Dakota special education page. The weapons section itself states its relation to disability law: actions under it "may not conflict with state special education laws or with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act". (§ 15.1-19-10(4))
The four rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser 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 N.D.C.C. Chapter 15.1-19 as retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
On suspension length: up to "ten days" for the general grounds, or "twenty days" for a student in a state-funded alternative education program. (§ 15.1-19-09(2), (3))
On expulsion length: up to "twelve months" for insubordination, habitual indolence, or disorderly conduct. (§ 15.1-19-09(4))
On the hearing before expulsion: "within ten days of the student's suspension," the school board or its designated hearing officer shall hold the hearing. (§ 15.1-19-10(2)(c))
On the firearm expulsion floor: a student who possesses a firearm in violation must "be expelled for at least one year", subject to case-by-case modification under board-established criteria. (§ 15.1-19-10(2)(b), (c))
On the sexual-offense safety plan's expulsion hearing: "within the time period prescribed under section 15.1-19-09" — a cross-reference the chapter does not resolve, since § 15.1-19-09 states durations rather than a hearing deadline. (§ 15.1-19-30(2)(c))
What any of this means for a particular situation is for the agency and its processes to determine.
Assigned to district policy by the quoted provision
The statute writes the frame and expressly hands the operative detail to each district's board. Each entry below is a question a district's own rules or policy answer, with the delegating text quoted. No district's rules or policy are captured or quoted here.
The suspension and expulsion rules themselves. "The board of a school district shall adopt rules regarding the suspension and expulsion of a student." (§ 15.1-19-09(1))
Whether, and on what terms, an expulsion is shortened. "If the student satisfies the conditions for reinstatement established by the school district, if any, the school district may review and reduce the duration of the expulsion." (§ 15.1-19-09(4))
The weapons and firearms policy, and the punishment for violating it. "The board of each school district shall adopt a policy governing the possession of weapons and firearms on school property or at a school function and provide for the punishment of any student found to be in violation of the policy." (§ 15.1-19-10(1))
The criteria for modifying a firearm expulsion below the one-year floor. The superintendent or principal may modify such an expulsion "on a case-by-case basis in accordance with criteria established by the board." (§ 15.1-19-10(2)(c))
Records access, as stated in the sources
N.D.C.C. Chapter 15.1-19 does not state an inspection or expungement rule for suspension or expulsion records specifically; that absence is the finding at the scope searched. The chapter does address a narrower, adjacent category — records of a school law enforcement unit regarding a student — confidentially and by name: such records "are confidential but may be released to:" a list including "A juvenile court having the student before it in any proceeding", "Officers of a state or local law enforcement agency for use in the discharge of their official duties", and "The student's parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian." (§ 15.1-19-14(1)) Retention is stated for that same category: "Records regarding a student obtained by a school under section 15.1-19-14, section 27-20.2-21, or section 27-20.4-21 must be destroyed when the student reaches the age of eighteen or no longer attends the school, whichever occurs later." (§ 15.1-19-15) Neither section is framed as governing general suspension or expulsion records, and this page does not extend them to that category. Federal records rights under FERPA are not restated here.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-19 (Students and Safety), including §§ 15.1-19-09, 15.1-19-10, 15.1-19-14, 15.1-19-15, and 15.1-19-30 | ndlegis.gov | no edition date published in the document; session-law notations through S.L. 2025; retrieved Oct 6, 2026 |
| N.D. Admin. Code rules on suspension and expulsion, if any | not located in this review | capture pending |
| NDDPI guidance on student discipline | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| District suspension and expulsion rules, and district weapons policies | each district, per N.D.C.C. §§ 15.1-19-09(1) and 15.1-19-10(1) | never captured; the full page's delegation map will point at them |
Change log
Oct 6, 2026 · Full-depth build (discipline-layer deepening pass). Recaptured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/north-dakota-discipline.json; the recapture reproduced the retained 2026-09-01 baseline's text exactly (confirmed, hash unchanged), so no new source fetch was required. Built out from the same single chapter PDF: the framework (now covering §§ 15.1-19-09, 15.1-19-10, and 15.1-19-30 route by route), the four hoisted process rows, timelines, the district delegation map, and records access. Findings recorded: (1) § 15.1-19-09(1) requires every district's expulsion rules to use the hearing procedure codified in § 15.1-19-10(2) — read together, the statute's one hearing deadline and board-review route govern expulsion generally under the chapter as captured, not only the weapons-and-firearms route where that procedure is separately codified; this reading is stated here as this page's own inference from the two sections read together, not a quotation, and a reader should weigh it against the chapter's own text; (2) services during exclusion are stated only as a district option, and only for expulsion under the weapons section (§ 15.1-19-10(3)); nothing is stated for suspension or for expulsion under § 15.1-19-09(4); (3) the delegation map now carries four districted questions: the suspension and expulsion rules themselves, reinstatement conditions, the weapons and firearms policy and its punishments, and the criteria for modifying a firearm expulsion; (4) records access findings are limited to the adjacent school-law-enforcement-unit-records category (§§ 15.1-19-14, 15.1-19-15); the chapter states no inspection or expungement rule for suspension or expulsion records specifically, and this page does not extend the law-enforcement-records provisions to that category; (5) the § 15.1-19-30(2)(c) cross-reference to § 15.1-19-09's hearing timing remains unresolved in the statute, as recorded at baseline — carried forward unchanged. Capture pending, as at baseline: N.D. Admin. Code rules on suspension and expulsion, if any, and NDDPI guidance on student discipline — neither located in this review. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter (review confirmed 2026-10-06). Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Sep 1, 2026 · Baseline page created (discipline-layer breadth sprint). Captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/north-dakota-discipline.json: N.D.C.C. chapter 15.1-19 from the Legislative Branch's own chapter PDF, which plain curl reaches and which carries both discipline sections in one document. Findings recorded: (1) the state delegates the procedure itself — § 15.1-19-09(1) instructs each board to adopt the suspension and expulsion rules, and § 15.1-19-10(1) each board to adopt the weapons policy and the punishments under it, so a family's actual process is a district document this page does not carry; (2) the chapter states exactly one hearing deadline, the ten days in § 15.1-19-10(2)(c), and states no notice requirement, no informal conference, and no emergency-removal route at all; (3) the only review named is to the school board from a designated hearing officer, with no state-level appeal and no role for the superintendent of public instruction in these sections; (4) § 15.1-19-30(2)(c), on safety plans after a student sexual offense, directs that an expulsion hearing be held "within the time period prescribed under section 15.1-19-09" — but § 15.1-19-09 prescribes maximum suspension and expulsion durations rather than a hearing deadline, and the chapter's only hearing deadline sits in § 15.1-19-10. The cross-reference is recorded as the state writes it; this page does not resolve which period is meant; (5) no state office, address, phone number, or email for parents appears in the sources; that absence is the finding; (6) the chapter PDF publishes no edition date, so its date is carried as the session-law notations the sections themselves print. 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 2026-09-01. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.