Wyoming — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- A single one-year ceiling covers both suspension and expulsion: "No suspension or expulsion shall be for longer than one (1) year." (§ 21-4-305(e)) Within that ceiling the hearing timing depends on length: for "a suspension of ten (10) school days or less," a student gets an opportunity to be heard before removal unless "the student's presence endangers persons or property or threatens disruption of the academic process," in which case immediate removal is allowed with the opportunity to be heard to follow within a stated window measured in hours, not counting weekends. (§ 21-4-305(c)(i)) For a suspension or expulsion longer than ten school days, "a hearing shall be held in accordance with the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act" and, absent an approved extension, "the hearing shall be held within ten (10) business days" of the disciplinarian's recommendation, with the student's suspension continuing until the hearing is held. (§ 21-4-305(c)(ii)) A mandatory one-year expulsion applies to a weapons violation, subject to case-by-case modification under subsection (d): "require the district superintendent to expel from school for a period of one (1) year any student determined to violate paragraph (a)(v) of this section." (§ 21-4-306(c))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- The statute names one appeal route, direct to court rather than to a state education office: "Any decision of the board, or of a designated superintendent, shall be considered a final decision which may be appealed to the district court of the county in which the school district is located, pursuant to provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act." (§ 21-4-305(f))
No state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the captured sections; that absence is a 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 Wyoming publishes in statute about K-12 school discipline: who may suspend or expel a student and how authority may be delegated, the notice the statute requires, how hearing timing depends on length, where the appeal route runs, and, because the statute grants local officials discretion at several points, a map of the questions Wyoming leaves to that discretion. Wyoming states its notice requirements in detail: a disciplinarian must "Give the student to be suspended or expelled oral or written notice of the charges against him and an explanation of the evidence the authorities have;" the disciplinarian must also "In good faith attempt to notify the student's parents, guardians or custodians within twenty-four (24) hours of the student's suspension or expulsion and the reasons for the suspension or expulsion, using contact information on record with the school or district." (§ 21-4-305(b)(i)-(ii)) The statute defines the term itself as a floor, not a full hearing, in most cases: "at a minimum a meeting in which the disciplinarian or his designee provides the substantive information regarding the suspension or expulsion to the student to be suspended, and the student to be suspended may dispute the substantive information provided." (§ 21-4-305(g)) District and local-official discretion add the operative detail this page does not carry; the delegation map below points at exactly those questions. Grounds for suspension or expulsion include willful disobedience, destruction of school property, behavior the local board finds detrimental to other pupils (including "habitually disruptive behavior" as the statute defines it), physical violence against a pupil or teacher, and weapon possession on a school bus or district property. (§ 21-4-306(a)) For a student with an IEP or Section 504 plan, that layer lives on this site's Wyoming special education page. District policies add procedural detail this page does not carry. 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
Authority, and its delegation (§ 21-4-305(a)). "The board of trustees of any school district is authorized to suspend or expel a student subject to the requirements to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard as set forth in this section. The board of trustees may delegate the authority to suspend or expel a student to disciplinarians chosen from the administrative and supervisory staff."
Notice (§ 21-4-305(b)). "No student shall be suspended or expelled from school without notice as set forth in this subsection and an opportunity to be heard as set forth in subsection (c) of this section." To provide notice the disciplinarian must "Give the student to be suspended or expelled oral or written notice of the charges against him and an explanation of the evidence the authorities have" and "In good faith attempt to notify the student's parents, guardians or custodians within twenty-four (24) hours of the student's suspension or expulsion and the reasons for the suspension or expulsion, using contact information on record with the school or district". The disciplinarian also keeps "record of the efforts to provide notice under this paragraph and whether the notice was provided successfully".
Opportunity to be heard, timed by length (§ 21-4-305(c)). For a suspension of ten school days or less, "a student shall be provided an opportunity to be heard before a student is removed unless the student's presence endangers persons or property or threatens disruption of the academic process, in which case his immediate removal from school may be justified, but the opportunity to be heard shall follow as soon as practicable, and not later than seventy- two (72) hours after his removal, not counting Saturdays and Sundays". "For a suspension or expulsion longer than ten (10) school days a hearing shall be held in accordance with the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act and, unless the student requests an extension and the board or the disciplinarian designee of the board approves an extension, the hearing shall be held within ten (10) business days, or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable, after the supervisory staff disciplinarian recommends suspension or expulsion to the appropriate administrator. The student's suspension shall continue until the hearing is held."
The one-year ceiling (§ 21-4-305(e)). "No suspension or expulsion shall be for longer than one (1) year."
The appeal route (§ 21-4-305(f)). "Any decision of the board, or of a designated superintendent, shall be considered a final decision which may be appealed to the district court of the county in which the school district is located, pursuant to provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act. The court may, on application or on its own motion, stay the decision of the board or superintendent pending appeal, considering both the best interests of the child and the need to maintain an orderly environment conducive to learning for other children."
What "opportunity to be heard" means (§ 21-4-305(g)). "As used in this chapter, an "opportunity to be heard" means at a minimum a meeting in which the disciplinarian or his designee provides the substantive information regarding the suspension or expulsion to the student to be suspended, and the student to be suspended may dispute the substantive information provided. An opportunity to be heard does not require a formal hearing in accordance with the provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act except as provided in paragraph (c)(ii) of this section."
Grounds (§ 21-4-306(a), (b)). Grounds include "Continued willful disobedience or open defiance of the authority of school personnel", "Willful destruction or defacing of school property", behavior the local board of trustees finds "clearly detrimental to the education, welfare, safety or morals of other pupils, including the use of foul, profane or abusive language or habitually disruptive behavior", defined as "overt behavior willfully initiated by a student causing disruption in the classroom, on school grounds, on school vehicles or at school activities or events, which requires the attention of a teacher or other school personnel", "Torturing, tormenting, or abusing a pupil or in any way maltreating a pupil or a teacher with physical violence", and possessing, using, transferring, carrying, or selling a deadly weapon on a school bus or district property.
The mandatory weapon expulsion, and its modification (§ 21-4-306(c), (d)). "The board of trustees shall, subject to the case-by- case modification permitted by subsection (d) of this section, require the district superintendent to expel from school for a period of one (1) year any student determined to violate paragraph (a)(v) of this section." That mandate is modifiable: "The superintendent with the approval of the board of trustees may modify the period of any expulsion on a case-by- case basis based upon the circumstances of the violation." Following "notice and hearing requirements of W.S. 21-4-305," the superintendent must notify the district attorney of the violation. The same subsection states a permission rather than a requirement: "Nothing in this section prohibits a district from providing educational services to the expelled student in an alternative setting."
The published process
- Notice and hearing before exclusion
- Stated in detail. Before any suspension or expulsion, the disciplinarian must give the student "oral or written notice of the charges against him and an explanation of the evidence the authorities have" and attempt parent notice within 24 hours. (§ 21-4-305(b)) For a suspension of ten school days or less, the student gets an opportunity to be heard before removal, unless an immediate safety or disruption concern justifies removal first, with the opportunity to be heard following within 72 hours. (§ 21-4-305(c)(i)) For anything longer than ten school days, a full hearing under the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act is required. (§ 21-4-305(c)(ii))
- Services during exclusion
- Stated only in connection with the mandatory weapon-violation expulsion, and only as a permission: "Nothing in this section prohibits a district from providing educational services to the expelled student in an alternative setting." (§ 21-4-306(d)) For a suspension or expulsion under § 21-4-305 generally, services during the exclusion are not stated in the sources reviewed.
- The record made, and the appeal route
- "Any decision of the board, or of a designated superintendent, shall be considered a final decision which may be appealed to the district court of the county in which the school district is located, pursuant to provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act." The court may stay the decision pending appeal. (§ 21-4-305(f)) No state education office sits in this chain; that absence is the finding.
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer lives on this site's Wyoming 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 W.S. 21-4-305 and 21-4-306 as retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
On parent notice: the disciplinarian must attempt notice "within twenty-four (24) hours of the student's suspension or expulsion". (§ 21-4-305(b)(ii))
On the opportunity to be heard after an immediate removal: it "shall follow as soon as practicable, and not later than seventy- two (72) hours after his removal, not counting Saturdays and Sundays". (§ 21-4-305(c)(i))
On the hearing for a suspension or expulsion longer than ten school days: "the hearing shall be held within ten (10) business days, or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable, after the supervisory staff disciplinarian recommends suspension or expulsion to the appropriate administrator." (§ 21-4-305(c)(ii))
On the overall ceiling: "No suspension or expulsion shall be for longer than one (1) year." (§ 21-4-305(e))
On the mandatory weapon expulsion: a period of "one (1) year", modifiable case by case by the superintendent with board approval. (§ 21-4-306(c), (d))
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 leaves several questions to local officials' discretion. Each entry below is a question a district's own board, superintendent, or disciplinarian answers, with the delegating or discretion-granting text quoted. No district's own decision is captured or quoted here.
Whether to delegate suspension or expulsion authority to disciplinarians. "The board of trustees may delegate the authority to suspend or expel a student to disciplinarians chosen from the administrative and supervisory staff." (§ 21-4-305(a))
Whether to grant an extension of the opportunity-to-be-heard or hearing timeline. The statute's timelines apply "unless a student requests an extension of time and the board of trustees or the disciplinarian designee of the board approves the extension". (§ 21-4-305(c))
Whether, and how far, a mandatory weapon-violation expulsion is modified. "The superintendent with the approval of the board of trustees may modify the period of any expulsion on a case-by- case basis based upon the circumstances of the violation." (§ 21-4-306(d))
Whether a district offers alternative educational services to an expelled student. "Nothing in this section prohibits a district from providing educational services to the expelled student in an alternative setting", but the statute does not require it. (§ 21-4-306(d))
Records access, as stated in the sources
Neither § 21-4-305 nor § 21-4-306 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 |
|---|---|---|
| W.S. 21-4-305 (suspension or expulsion; authority; procedure) | wyoleg.gov | session-law citations at the end of each subsection; retrieved Oct 6, 2026 |
| W.S. 21-4-306 (suspension or expulsion; grounds) | wyoleg.gov | session-law citations at the end of each subsection; retrieved Oct 6, 2026 |
| W.S. 6-1-104(a)(iv) (deadly weapon definition), cross-referenced by § 21-4-306(a)(v) | cited in the section above | capture pending |
| W.S. 31-7-102(a)(xl) (school bus definition), cross-referenced by § 21-4-306(a)(v) | cited in the section above | capture pending |
| Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act, cross-referenced by §§ 21-4-305(c)(ii), (f) and 21-4-306(d) | cited in the section above | capture pending |
| Wyoming Department of Education rules on student discipline | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| District discipline policies | each school district | 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/wyoming-discipline.json: W.S. 21-4-305 and 21-4-306 from the Legislative Service Office's compressed Title 21 PDF, by curl, the same pages 140–143 as baseline. The recapture reproduced the baseline's text exactly (confirmed, same wording throughout); this is the first retention pass for this slug, so it is the first entry in tools/packets/history/wyoming-discipline/. Built out sections 01–02 (framework route by route, four hoisted process rows, timelines, district delegation map, records access) from the same source already in the baseline packet — no new source fetch was required. Findings recorded: (1) § 21-4-306(d)'s closing sentence, not previously quoted on this page, states that "Nothing in this section prohibits a district from providing educational services to the expelled student in an alternative setting" — stated only in connection with the mandatory weapon-violation expulsion, and only as a permission; services during exclusion are not stated for a suspension or expulsion under § 21-4-305 generally; (2) the delegation map now carries four questions: whether to delegate suspension or expulsion authority to disciplinarians, whether to grant a timeline extension, whether and how far a mandatory weapon-violation expulsion is modified, and whether a district offers alternative educational services to an expelled student; (3) neither § 21-4-305 nor § 21-4-306 states a rule on discipline-record access, inspection, or expungement; that absence is recorded; (4) W.S. 6-1-104(a)(iv), W.S. 31-7-102(a)(xl), and the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act remain uncaptured, as at baseline — recipe-backfill candidates, not blockers to this page's full depth. Capture pending, as at baseline: W.S. 6-1-104(a)(iv), W.S. 31-7-102(a)(xl), the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act, and Wyoming Department of Education rules on student 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/wyoming-discipline.json: W.S. 21-4-305 and 21-4-306 from the Legislative Service Office's compressed Title 21 PDF, by curl, narrowed to pages 140-143 rather than the whole 1.8 MB title. Findings recorded: (1) Wyoming sets one ceiling for both suspension and expulsion — one year — and ties hearing procedure to length, with a full Administrative Procedure Act hearing required only past ten school days; (2) a mandatory one-year expulsion applies to a weapons violation under § 21-4-306(a)(v), subject to case-by-case modification by the superintendent with board approval; (3) the appeal route runs directly from the school board or superintendent to the district court of the county where the district is located, under the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act — no state education office sits in the chain; (4) no address, phone number, or email for any state office appears in the captured sections; (5) the statute defines "opportunity to be heard" as a minimum meeting, not a formal hearing, except for suspensions or expulsions longer than ten school days; (6) W.S. 6-1-104(a)(iv), W.S. 31-7-102(a)(xl), and the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act are cited by the captured sections but not yet captured separately. 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: W.S. Title 21, Ch. 4 → https://web.archive.org/web/20261016052027/https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title21.pdf. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.