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What Records Can I Request After a Suspension Notice?

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What the school must tell you first

Florida law requires every district to adopt a code of student conduct with the rules, the consequences, and the procedures, and to notify parents of a suspension and the reasons (Fla. Stat. 1006.07). Under the U.S. Supreme Court's Goss v. Lopez, your child is also entitled to notice and an informal chance to be heard before a short suspension, and a more formal process for longer removals.

The records to request today

Ask the school, in writing, for these documents. The district's hearing office or the principal's office can tell you the exact process.

• The written notice and the specific code-of-conduct provision your child is charged with
• The referral and the administrator's report
• All witness statements (other students' names can be redacted)
• Preservation of any video, and a copy of it
• Your child's complete discipline record
• The hearing procedure and the appeal procedure

If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, also ask for the manifestation determination meeting — see below.

How long the school can act, and when a hearing is required

A principal's suspension is limited to 10 school days per incident. Expulsion can only be imposed by the school board, after notice and a hearing under your district's own procedures (Fla. Stat. 1006.09). Even under a zero-tolerance policy, the district must still consider your child's case individually, and cannot require a police referral for petty misconduct (Fla. Stat. 1006.13).

If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan

Under federal IDEA rules, a removal of more than 10 consecutive school days, or a pattern of removals, is a change of placement. It requires a manifestation determination review within 10 school days. If the conduct was caused by, or substantially related to, the disability — or resulted from the school's failure to implement the IEP — your child generally returns to school, and the team addresses the behavior instead. Services must continue during any removal beyond 10 days. Section 504 provides parallel protections. See the U.S. Dept. of Education's IDEA discipline procedures for the rule.

If police or a school resource officer were involved

The school discipline process and any juvenile court process are separate. Your child should not give a statement to police without a parent present, and ideally an attorney, before that happens. Contact the public defender or legal aid first. This guide does not give criminal-defense advice.

What is not yet known, and where to get help

Every district's code of student conduct sets its own request forms, deadlines and hearing steps — this guide cannot know your district's specific process. FloridaLawHelp.org offers free education-law help for families who qualify. This is not legal advice, and it can be wrong. Confirm every deadline and requirement with your district's hearing office or an attorney.

What to do next

Paste the suspension notice and your child's account into the free tool. It reads your own document and tells you which records to request, the deadline to respond, and whether the manifestation-determination rules apply — in English or Spanish. Nothing you paste is stored. Your first response letter is free.

School Discipline Response FL explains Florida school-discipline law and district procedures in plain language; it can be wrong, and it is not legal advice. It never names other students. For expulsion, arrest or a special-education dispute, contact legal aid or an attorney. Nothing you paste is stored.