The Role of a PPT

Your child’s PPT, of which you are a part, will meet to review the relationship between your child’s behavior and his or her disability. This is known as the “manifestation determination.” The PPT determines if your child’s behavior was caused by or had a direct and substantial relationship to his or her disability. The PPT will also determine whether your child’s behavior was caused by the school district’s failure to implement his or her IEP.

If the PPT determines that your child’s disability did not cause the subject behavior, then your child will be disciplined as would any other child who behaved in that particular manner. The manifestation determination must be conducted within ten (10) days of any decision to change the placement of your child due to a violation of the code of student conduct.

If the PPT finds that your child’s behavior was a manifestation of his or her disability or was due to a failure to implement his or her IEP, then your child may not be removed from their current educational setting. Thereafter, the PPT must conduct a functional behavioral assessment and implement a behavioral intervention plan.

A functional behavioral assessment looks at why your child behaved the way he or she did by collecting data to determine the possible causes of the problem and identify strategies to address your child’s behavior. The behavioral intervention plan, which is also developed by your child’s PPT, must be designed to teach your child appropriate behaviors and eliminate behaviors that impede on his or her ability to learn, as well as that of other students in your child’s class.

Interim Educational Settings

School personnel may remove your child from his or her current educational placement and into another appropriate interim educational setting for a maximum of ten (10) consecutive school days. Your child’s IEP determines what an appropriate interim educational plan setting will be. Although your child may be removed from his or her current educational setting and into an interim educational setting if it is found that his or her behavior was not a result of their disability, the child still must continue to receive educational services, so as to continue participation in the general education curriculum and to progress toward meeting the goals set out in his or her IEP.

There are three circumstances permitting your child’s school district to place your child in an interim educational setting for up to forty-five (45) days, irrespective of whether your child’s behavior was found to be a manifestation of his or her disability:

• He or she carries a weapon to school or a school function, or is in possession of a weapon in school or at a school function;
• He or she knowingly possesses or uses illegal drugs, or sells or solicits the sale of controlled substances while at school or a school function; or
• Inflicts serious bodily injury upon another person while at school, or at a school function.

Moreover, a hearing officer may place your child in an interim educational setting if he determines that keeping your child in his or her current placement is substantially likely to result in an injury to your child or to others.

What if I disagree with my child’s placement?

If you disagree with any decision regarding the placement of your child following a disciplinary finding or manifestation determination, you have the right to initiate a due process hearing. Pending a decision by the hearing officer, unless you and the school district agree otherwise, your child will remain in the disciplinary placement until the earlier of the issuance of a decision or expiration of the placement.

In addition, the hearing officer may return your child to the placement from which he or she was removed if the hearing officer determines that removal was not valid or your child’s behavior was a manifestation of his or her disability.

The LEA is responsible for arranging the expedited due process hearing and must do so within twenty (20) school days of the date the complaint requesting the hearing was filed. The hearing officer must make a determination within ten (10) school days after the hearing is held. Decisions as to an expedited due process hearing pertaining to any of the matters in dispute are appealable.

Maya Murphy P.C. has proudly been included in the 2024 Edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked among the top firms in the nation. In addition, Managing Partner Joseph C. Maya has been selected to The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for his work in Employment Law and Education Law in Connecticut. Recognition in Best Lawyers® is awarded to firms and attorneys who demonstrate excellence in the industry, and is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor.

Our firm in Westport, Connecticut serves clients with legal assistance all over the state, including the towns of: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Bethel, Branford, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Cheshire, Danbury, Darien, Derby, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, Middlebury, Milford, Monroe, Naugatuck, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Haven, Newton, North Branford, North Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Oxford, Prospect, Redding, Ridgefield, Seymour, Shelton, Sherman, Southbury, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven, Weston, Westport, Wilton, and Woodbridge. In addition to assisting clients in Connecticut, our firm handles education law and employment law matters in New York as well. 

If you have any questions about employment law or education law in Connecticut, or would like to speak to an attorney about a legal matter, please contact Joseph C. Maya and the other experienced attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. at (203) 221-3100 or JMaya@Mayalaw.com to schedule a free initial consultation today.