Vermont — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- Suspension and expulsion lengths are stated together, tied to the school board's approval: "A superintendent or principal may, pursuant to policies adopted by the school board that are consistent with State Board rules, suspend a student for up to 10 school days or, with the approval of the board of the school district, expel a student for up to the remainder of the school year or up to 90 school days, whichever is longer," for the grounds the statute lists. (§ 1162(a)) A youngest-student floor is stated separately: "a student enrolled in a public school, approved independent school, or prequalified private prekindergarten program who is under eight years of age shall not be suspended or expelled from the school; provided, however, that the school may suspend or expel the student if the student poses an imminent threat of harm or danger to others in the school." (§ 1162(d)) On emergency removal: "Nothing contained in this section shall prevent a superintendent or principal, subject to subsequent due process procedures, from removing immediately from a school a student who poses a continuing danger to persons or property or an ongoing threat of disrupting the academic process of the school, or from expelling a student who brings a weapon to school pursuant to section 1166 of this title." (§ 1162(b))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- Neither captured section names a hearing officer, a board hearing procedure, or an appeal body; the statute requires only that a comprehensive plan include "Standard due process procedures for suspension and expulsion of a student." (§ 1161a(a)(7))
No state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the sources; those absences are the findings. - 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 Vermont publishes in statute about K-12 school discipline: the required school discipline plan, the lengths the state ties to suspension and expulsion, what continues during an exclusion, and, because the statute assigns the actual procedure to each school's own plan, a map of the questions Vermont hands to that plan. Vermont's central discipline requirement is a school-written plan, not a state-specified procedure: "Each public and each approved independent school shall adopt and implement a comprehensive plan for responding to student misbehavior." That plan must include "The school's approach to classroom management and response to disruptive behavior, including the use of alternative educational settings." It must also include "Procedures for informing parents of the school's discipline policies, for notifying parents of student misconduct, and for working with parents to improve student behavior." It must include "A description of behaviors on and off school grounds that constitute misconduct, including harassment, bullying, and hazing, particularly those behaviors that may be grounds for expulsion." And it must include "Standard due process procedures for suspension and expulsion of a student." (§ 1161a(a)) District and school plans add the operative detail this page does not carry; the delegation map below points at exactly those questions. Corporal punishment is prohibited outright, with narrow exceptions: "No person employed by or agent of a public or approved independent school shall inflict or cause to be inflicted corporal punishment upon a student attending the school or the institution." That prohibition does not bar reasonable and necessary force "to quell a disturbance;" "to obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects upon the person of or within the control of a student;" "for the purpose of self defense; or" "for the protection of persons or property." (§ 1161a(c)) The expulsion section also names the firearm statute directly, allowing removal of a student who brings a weapon to school under a separate provision. (§ 1162(b)) For a student with an IEP or Section 504 plan, that layer lives on this site's Vermont special education page. District codes of conduct add procedural detail this page does not carry. Confirm applicability with the school 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
The required discipline plan (§ 1161a(a)). Vermont states its frame as a planning requirement rather than a state-run procedure: "Each public and each approved independent school shall adopt and implement a comprehensive plan for responding to student misbehavior. To the extent appropriate, the plan shall promote the positive development of youths." The statute lists seven things the plan must include, among them classroom-management practices, conflict-resolution training, parent-notification procedures, a description of what counts as misconduct (including harassment, bullying, and hazing, cross-referencing the definitions at 16 V.S.A. §§ 11(a)(26)(A)-(C) and (32)), and, as quoted below, the suspension and expulsion due-process procedures themselves.
Corporal punishment (§ 1161a(b), (c)). The statute defines the term it bans: "corporal punishment" means "the intentional infliction of physical pain upon the body of a pupil as a disciplinary measure." It then prohibits it outright, with four narrow exceptions for reasonable and necessary force: "No person employed by or agent of a public or approved independent school shall inflict or cause to be inflicted corporal punishment upon a student attending the school or the institution. However, this section does not prohibit a person from using reasonable and necessary force:" "to quell a disturbance;" "to obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects upon the person of or within the control of a student;" "for the purpose of self defense; or" "for the protection of persons or property."
Suspension and expulsion authority and lengths (§ 1162(a)). "A superintendent or principal may, pursuant to policies adopted by the school board that are consistent with State Board rules, suspend a student for up to 10 school days or, with the approval of the board of the school district, expel a student for up to the remainder of the school year or up to 90 school days, whichever is longer," for misconduct on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity that is harmful to the school's welfare, or, for off-campus misconduct, where direct harm to the school's welfare or a clear and substantial interference with another student's educational access can be shown.
Emergency removal and the firearm statute (§ 1162(b)). "Nothing contained in this section shall prevent a superintendent or principal, subject to subsequent due process procedures, from removing immediately from a school a student who poses a continuing danger to persons or property or an ongoing threat of disrupting the academic process of the school, or from expelling a student who brings a weapon to school pursuant to section 1166 of this title."
Services during exclusion (§ 1162(c)). "Principals, superintendents, and school boards are authorized and encouraged to provide alternative education services or programs to students during any period of suspension or expulsion authorized under this section." This is permissive and encouraged, not required.
The under-eight floor (§ 1162(d)). "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this chapter, a student enrolled in a public school, approved independent school, or prequalified private prekindergarten program who is under eight years of age shall not be suspended or expelled from the school; provided, however, that the school may suspend or expel the student if the student poses an imminent threat of harm or danger to others in the school."
The published process
- Notice and hearing before exclusion
- Not state-specified. The statute requires each school's own comprehensive plan to include "Standard due process procedures for suspension and expulsion of a student", but states no content for that procedure itself. (§ 1161a(a)(7)) For an emergency removal, due process follows rather than precedes the removal: a superintendent or principal may remove a student immediately, "subject to subsequent due process procedures". (§ 1162(b))
- Services during exclusion
- Stated as encouraged, not required: "Principals, superintendents, and school boards are authorized and encouraged to provide alternative education services or programs to students during any period of suspension or expulsion authorized under this section." (§ 1162(c))
- The record made, and the appeal route
- Not stated in the sources reviewed. Neither § 1161a nor § 1162 names a hearing officer, a board hearing procedure, or an appeal body; the statute requires only that each school's plan include "Standard due process procedures for suspension and expulsion of a student", without stating what record is made or where an appeal runs. (§ 1161a(a)(7)) That absence is the finding.
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer lives on this site's Vermont special education page.
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 16 V.S.A. §§ 1161a and 1162 as retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
On suspension length: up to "10 school days". (§ 1162(a))
On expulsion length: with school-board approval, "up to the remainder of the school year or up to 90 school days, whichever is longer". (§ 1162(a))
On the under-eight floor: a student under eight "shall not be suspended or expelled from the school", absent an imminent threat of harm or danger to others. (§ 1162(d))
No notice deadline, hearing deadline, or appeal window is stated in the sources reviewed; those procedures are left to each school's own comprehensive plan. What any of this means for a particular situation is for the school 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 school's or school board's own plan or policy. Each entry below is a question a school's own plan or policy answers, with the delegating text quoted. No school's plan or policy is captured or quoted here.
The comprehensive discipline plan itself, and its due-process procedures. "Each public and each approved independent school shall adopt and implement a comprehensive plan for responding to student misbehavior", which must include "Standard due process procedures for suspension and expulsion of a student." (§ 1161a(a), (a)(7))
Classroom management and response to disruptive behavior. The plan must include "The school's approach to classroom management and response to disruptive behavior, including the use of alternative educational settings." (§ 1161a(a)(1))
How parents are notified. The plan must include "Procedures for informing parents of the school's discipline policies, for notifying parents of student misconduct, and for working with parents to improve student behavior." (§ 1161a(a)(3))
What counts as misconduct. The plan must include "A description of behaviors on and off school grounds that constitute misconduct, including harassment, bullying, and hazing, particularly those behaviors that may be grounds for expulsion." (§ 1161a(a)(6))
The suspension and expulsion policies themselves. A superintendent or principal acts "pursuant to policies adopted by the school board that are consistent with State Board rules". (§ 1162(a))
Whether alternative education services are offered during an exclusion. Principals, superintendents, and school boards "are authorized and encouraged to provide alternative education services or programs", but the statute does not require it. (§ 1162(c))
Records access, as stated in the sources
Neither § 1161a nor § 1162 states a rule on discipline-record access, inspection, or expungement; that absence is the finding at the scope searched. Federal records rights under FERPA are not restated here.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 16 V.S.A. § 1161a (discipline plan; corporal-punishment prohibition) | legislature.vermont.gov | history through 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 74; retrieved Oct 6, 2026 |
| 16 V.S.A. § 1162 (suspension or expulsion of students) | legislature.vermont.gov | history through 2021, No. 166 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. June 1, 2022; retrieved Oct 6, 2026 |
| 16 V.S.A. § 1166 (possession of a firearm at school), cross-referenced by § 1162(b) | cited in the section above | capture pending |
| 16 V.S.A. §§ 11(a)(26)(A)-(C) and 11(a)(32) (the harassment, bullying, and hazing definitions § 1161a(a)(6) cites) | cited in the section above | capture pending |
| Vermont Agency of Education State Board rules on discipline, referenced by § 1162(a) | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| School discipline plans adopted under § 1161a(a) | each public and approved independent school | 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/vermont-discipline.json: 16 V.S.A. §§ 1161a and 1162 from the Vermont Statutes Online, by curl. The statute text is unchanged from the 2026-09-01 baseline; the site's own breadcrumb navigation chrome around each section changed format ("Statutes› Title 16› Chapter 025› § 1161a" in place of the older "Title 16 : Education" lines), which is page furniture rather than statute text and is retained as a new revision for that reason alone — no quotation on this page rests on it. Built out sections 01–02 (framework route by route, four hoisted process rows, timelines, district delegation map, records access) from the same two sources already in the baseline packet — no new source fetch was required. Findings recorded: (1) § 1162(c), not previously quoted on this page, states that "Principals, superintendents, and school boards are authorized and encouraged to provide alternative education services or programs to students during any period of suspension or expulsion authorized under this section" — permissive and encouraged, not required; (2) notice and hearing procedures remain unstated at the state level, assigned entirely to each school's own comprehensive plan under § 1161a(a)(7); for an emergency removal, due process follows the removal rather than preceding it; (3) the delegation map now carries six questions: the comprehensive plan and its due-process procedures, classroom management, parent notification, the description of misconduct, the suspension and expulsion policies themselves (which must be consistent with State Board rules), and whether alternative education services are offered during an exclusion; (4) neither § 1161a nor § 1162 states a rule on discipline-record access, inspection, or expungement; that absence is recorded; (5) § 1166 (the firearm-expulsion statute § 1162(b) cross-references) and the harassment/bullying/hazing definitions § 1161a(a)(6) cites remain uncaptured, as at baseline — recipe-backfill candidates, not blockers to this page's full depth. Capture pending, as at baseline: 16 V.S.A. § 1166, 16 V.S.A. §§ 11(a)(26)(A)-(C) and 11(a)(32), and Vermont Agency of Education State Board rules on discipline. 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/vermont-discipline.json: 16 V.S.A. §§ 1161a and 1162 from the Vermont Statutes Online, by curl. Findings recorded: (1) Vermont ties both suspension and expulsion lengths to a single sentence — ten school days for a suspension, up to the remainder of the school year or 90 school days (whichever is longer) for a board-approved expulsion — with a separate under-eight floor barring suspension or expulsion except for an imminent threat of harm; (2) neither captured section names a hearing officer, hearing procedure, or appeal body; the statute instead requires each school's own discipline plan to include "Standard due process procedures for suspension and expulsion of a student." That is all the statute says about procedure, making the actual procedure a district-level document this page does not carry; (3) no state office or contact for parents appears anywhere in the sources; (4) corporal punishment is prohibited with four narrow force exceptions quoted in full; (5) § 1166 (the firearm-expulsion statute § 1162(b) cross-references) and the harassment/bullying/hazing definitions § 1161a(a)(6) cites are not yet captured. 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. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Oct 16, 2026 · Internet Archive captures recorded. Captures requested this date by an automated capture pass; 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: legislature.vermont.gov → https://web.archive.org/web/20261016051038/https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/16/025/01161a; 16 V.S.A. § 1162 → https://web.archive.org/web/20261016051118/https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/16/025/01162. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.