When my cell phone rings in the middle of the day and I see my son’s school is calling, I immediately have a moment of unease: did Matthew get hurt, is he sick, what happened that warrants this call in the middle of the day? Matthew is a sixth grader with Down syndrome, but I know these feelings are shared by parents of children with and without disabilities alike.
I count myself lucky that with each of these calls I am relieved to hear about situations that, while important enough to call, are typically intended to share information about my son’s day or report on a minor issue. I am thankful that the school staff overcommunicate and keep us informed, as well as share potential solutions if a problem arises. In short, they are proactive, so after a brief chat with school personnel, I resume my day.
But for many parents of children with disabilities, the middle-of-the-day phone call carries a different message and results in a different outcome. As the Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP’s) director, I have heard parents share stories that follow a strikingly similar and concerning plot line: their child’s behavior has caused a disruption and they must be picked up immediately to help their child “calm down.” Forced to abruptly abandon their workday commitments, these parents rush to their child’s school and take their child home. Sometimes this removal from school is for part of a school day, sometimes longer.
These removals often go uncounted, are not reported as suspensions, and fly under-the-radar built to ensure that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA’s) discipline protections are exercised.
Until now, OSEP had not given these removals a name. Now, we call these removals “informal removals.”
In July 2022, OSEP released the most comprehensive IDEA discipline requirements guidance package since the law was passed in 2004. Notably, this guidance:
- Defines informal removals;
- Describes situations in which informal removals could indicate that a child’s IEP does not appropriately address their behavioral needs (Question C-3);
- Describes how informal removals could constitute a disciplinary removal (Question C-6);
- Highlights evidence-based practices that address behavior using proactive and preventative strategies.
The bottom line is, informal removals matter. They matter to the child being removed, to the parent/guardian being called, to the school personnel who lack the tools and strategies to address the behavioral needs of children with disabilities more productively, and they matter to OSEP.
The bottom line is, informal removals matter. They matter to the child being removed, to the parent/guardian being called, to the school personnel who lack the tools and strategies to address the behavioral needs of children with disabilities more productively, and they matter to OSEP.
As discussed in my January blog, when schools rely on informal removals to address the behavioral needs of a child it is often the case that school personnel lack access to evidence-based strategies that can help prevent or mitigate interfering behaviors. Informal removals that occur again and again can be the result of a child exhibiting similar types of behavior. Removing a child from their learning environment without putting into place measures that will address their underlying behavioral needs perpetuates this cycle.
Instead, OSEP urges state educational agencies, local educational agencies, schools, early childhood programs and parents to use the guidance package to better understand informal removals. The guidance can help stakeholders understand how informal removals may overlap with IDEA’s discipline protections and requirements and how they can prevent informal removals through implementing positive, proactive approaches to address the behavioral needs of children with disabilities.
This post is an excerpt from an OSPE blog post titled, “Discipline Discussions: Informal Removals Matter” by By Valerie C. Williams, Director, Office of Special Education Programs
