Discipline decisions involving students with disabilities require balancing safety, compliance, and educational needs under pressure. Navigating the intersection of the IDEA, Section 504, and district policy can create major legal vulnerabilities without precise procedural safeguards and appropriate documentation.
In this session, Brandon K. Wright, Esq., will provide a practical framework for managing discipline from incident to resolution. Learn how to help your team avoid legal pitfalls, maintain services, and make defensible decisions. You will leave with actionable, immediate strategies to support safe, compliant learning environments.
By attending this session, you’ll gain:
- A step-by-step framework for your teams to analyze discipline situations involving students with disabilities.
- Clear guidance on when discipline protections are triggered and the critical questions to ask first.
- Key insights into common documentation mistakes that create legal risk and how to build a defensible record.
- Tactics to confidently navigate manifestation determinations (MDRs), interim alternative settings (IAES), and removals.
- Turnkey strategies to promote district consistency, reduce disputes, and support compliant schools.
Who Should Attend?
- Directors of Special Education / Special Services
- Supervisors of Special Education / Special Services
- District Leadership
Meet your host
Brandon K. Wright is a partner in the firm of Franczek P.C. Brandon focuses his practice on school law, having developed a particular interest in the field of special education, due process, and cooperative school districts. He regularly speaks at local, state, and national conferences on special education. Brandon has served as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Southern Illinois University, as well as at Eastern Illinois University. He has served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys and is an active member of the National School Attorneys Association special education committee. Brandon holds both a Juris Doctor and a master's degree in educational administration.
