Illinois suspension & expulsion rules

Illinois's discipline card

Federal floor (all states): notice of the charges, an explanation of the evidence if your child denies them, and a chance to tell their side before a suspension of up to 10 days (Goss v. Lopez). With an IEP, the federal discipline clock adds the 10-school-day manifestation review and the 45-school-day interim-setting rules (34 CFR §§300.530–300.536).

Longest single suspension: 10 school days.

Hearing: Expulsion only after you are asked (by registered or certified mail) to a board or hearing-officer meeting.

Appeal deadline: state law does not set one — it is in your district's code of conduct / grievance policy. Send the protective appeal letter today and make the district confirm its deadline in writing.

Longest expulsion: 2 calendar years.

Sources: 105 ILCS 5/10-22.6 (SB100, P.A. 99-0456)

Verified Illinois levers

• Any suspension must be reported to you immediately, with the reasons and your right to a review — and on your request the board or a hearing officer SHALL review it (§10-22.6(b)). The statute sets no request deadline; send it in writing right away.
• Zero tolerance is banned: boards may not require suspension or expulsion for particular behaviors (§10-22.6(b-10)).
• Out-of-school suspension over 3 days, expulsion, or alternative-school removal requires documented proof that other interventions were exhausted AND that your child's presence threatens safety or substantially disrupts the school (§10-22.6(b-20)). No documentation, no removal — that finding is your lever.
• A student suspended more than 3 school days must get support services and the chance to make up work for full credit (§10-22.6(b-25), (b-30)).
• The rules above expressly cover charter schools too (§10-22.6(j)).

Run the discipline decoder

Rules checked October 2026 — every rule on this page is cited to its source. Verify day counts against your district's official calendar.