The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2024 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Title 16 : Education
Chapter 025 : ATTENDANCE AND DISCIPLINE
Subchapter 004 : EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE MEASURES
(Cite as: 16 V.S.A. § 1162)-
§ 1162. Suspension or expulsion of students
(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:
(1) on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity when the misconduct makes the continued presence of the student harmful to the welfare of the school;
(2) not on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity where direct harm to the welfare of the school can be demonstrated; or
(3) not on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity where the misconduct can be shown to pose a clear and substantial interference with another student’s equal access to educational programs.
(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.
(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.
(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. (Amended 1977, No. 33, § 3; 1977, No. 130 (Adj. Sess.); 1995, No. 35, § 4; 1999, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2001, No. 8, § 19; 2011, No. 58, § 37, eff. May 31, 2011; 2021, No. 35, § 6, eff. May 18, 2021; 2021, No. 166 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. June 1, 2022.)
