Dallas, Texas · K-12 discipline
Dallas ISD DAEP Placements & Expulsions
How Dallas Independent School District places students in its Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, how to appeal, and what happens at an expulsion hearing, taken from the district's own Student Code of Conduct and board policy.
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What to do right now in Dallas ISD
- 1Write down the date your child was removed from class. Under Dallas ISD's code: The district gives the student and parent/guardian notice of the hearing. After that notice, the district may hold the hearing even if the student or parent/guardian does not attend.
- 2Go to the conference and ask for the reasons in writing. Ask which section of the 2026-2027 Student Code of Conduct the school says applies, and whether the placement is mandatory or discretionary.
- 3Get a copy of the placement order and note its length. Students are assigned to DAEP for at least 10 days.
- 4If you disagree, appeal on time. Appeals go in this order: (1) the Districtwide Student Discipline Hearing Officer, (2) the Student Engagement and Support Department/Student Engagement and Support Panel, (3) the Board of Trustees. The Board's decision is final, with exceptions. Deadline: A parent/guardian may request an appeal within 5 school days after the hearing.
- 5If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask the school about a manifestation determination review. Federal special education rules generally require one before a disciplinary removal of more than 10 school days.
Disciplinary Alternative Education Program
How DAEP placement works in Dallas ISD
Governing document: 2026-2027 Student Code of Conduct.
How a placement is decided
The campus behavior coordinator handles discipline and must schedule the conference/hearing within 3 days.
The placement conference
The district gives the student and parent/guardian notice of the hearing. After that notice, the district may hold the hearing even if the student or parent/guardian does not attend.
How long placements last
Students are assigned to DAEP for at least 10 days.
Reviews during placement
The code describes a review committee only in its section on registered sex offenders. For those students, the committee reviews the placement at the end of the first semester and before each school year the student stays in an alternative placement.
Appealing a DAEP placement in Dallas ISD
How to appeal
Appeals go in this order: (1) the Districtwide Student Discipline Hearing Officer, (2) the Student Engagement and Support Department/Student Engagement and Support Panel, (3) the Board of Trustees. The Board's decision is final, with exceptions.
Deadline
A parent/guardian may request an appeal within 5 school days after the hearing.
Expulsion in Dallas ISD
How expulsion works
Students who commit Mandatory Level IV Expulsion Offenses are assigned to the Dallas County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (DCJJAEP), 1673 Terre Colony Court, Dallas. Students younger than 10 go to the district's DAEP instead.
The expulsion hearing
Before an expulsion to the JJAEP, the student must get a hearing. The hearing includes notice of the alleged misconduct and the proposed action, plus a chance to be heard. A parent/guardian or another adult may represent the student.
Appealing an expulsion
Level IV (expulsion) decisions go through the district appeal levels. After that, they can be appealed to the State District Court of Dallas County, whose decision is final.
Where expelled students go
Expelled students go to the Dallas County JJAEP (DCJJAEP) for 90 days, or for 1 year if the offense involves a firearm.
Key deadlines in Dallas ISD discipline cases
- ⏱Conference/hearing: the campus behavior coordinator must schedule it within 3 days.
- ⏱Parent notice: if a parent is not reached by phone or in person by 5 p.m. on the first business day after the action, written notice is mailed.
- ⏱DAEP/DCJJAEP appeal request: within 5 school days after the hearing.
- ⏱Level II DAEP assignments: end at the end of the school year, no matter how many days were assigned.
- ⏱Level III DAEP assignments: end at the end of summer school, no matter how many days are owed.
- ⏱Placement review for students required to register as sex offenders: at the end of the first semester of placement and before each new school year.
Your child's rights in the process
- ✓At a DAEP/JJAEP hearing, the student may be represented by a parent or guardian who can guide them.
- ✓The student has the right to be heard and to present evidence in their defense.
- ✓The student has the right to question the district's representative.
- ✓Parents or students who are 18 or older, emancipated, or homeless may designate a 'guardian', an organization, or legal counsel.
- ✓At the end of the hearing, the parent/guardian receives a copy of the referral, the appeal process, and an appeal form.
- ✓A parent/guardian may request an appeal within 5 school days after the hearing.
- ✓If a parent/guardian disagrees with the manifestation determination (MDR) committee decision for a student with a disability, they may request a Texas Education Agency expedited administrative hearing.
- ✓The district may not charge for a required foundation course that a DAEP student is given the chance to complete.
- ✓If a concern cannot be resolved at the campus, parents may contact the Parent Advocacy Office at 972-925-3505.
Dallas ISD board policies that govern discipline
Texas districts publish these in their board policy manual. LOCAL policies are the district's own rules; LEGAL policies restate state and federal law.
- §FNG (LOCAL): Student Rights and Responsibilities: Student and Parent Complaints/Grievances
- §FNG (LEGAL): Student Rights and Responsibilities: Student and Parent Complaints/Grievances
- §FO (LEGAL): Student Discipline
- §FO (LOCAL): Student Discipline
- §FOA (LEGAL): Student Discipline: Removal by Teacher or Bus Driver
- §FOB (LEGAL): Student Discipline: Out-of-School Suspension
- §FOC (LEGAL): Student Discipline: Placement in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Setting
- §FOCA (LEGAL): Placement in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Setting: Disciplinary Alternative Education Program Operations
- §FOD (LEGAL): Student Discipline: Expulsion
- §FODA (LEGAL): Expulsion: Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program
- §FOE (LEGAL): Student Discipline: Emergency and Alternative Placement
- §FOF (LEGAL): Student Discipline: Students with Disabilities
What is different about Dallas ISD's process
- →'Good Day' policy: a DAEP assignment can be cut by 1 day for each full week (Monday-Friday) of perfect attendance with no behavior referrals.
- →Students at the Off-Campus Secondary DAEP can earn early release: 2 days off for each Saturday session they attend.
- →To move forward with an appeal, the student must be enrolled in and attending the assigned placement.
- →While an appeal is pending, the student keeps serving the DAEP/DCJJAEP assignment and may not return to the regular classroom.
Texas Education Code, Chapter 37
What Texas law requires in every district
The placement conference
- Within 3 class days after a student is removed from class (by a teacher, or by the principal or another administrator for a DAEP placement), the campus behavior coordinator or another administrator must schedule a conference. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(a))
- The conference includes the campus behavior coordinator or another administrator, a parent or guardian, the teacher who removed the student (if any), and the student. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(a))
- At the conference, the student must be told the reasons for the removal, either in writing or out loud. The student must also get an explanation of why and a chance to respond. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(a))
- The student may not go back to the regular classroom until the conference is held. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(a))
The placement order
- After the conference, the campus behavior coordinator orders the placement for a length of time consistent with the student code of conduct, after considering the required factors. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(a))
- If the length of the placement does not match the guidelines in the student code of conduct, the order must say so. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(a))
- A placement may not last more than 1 year unless, after a review, the district decides the student is a threat to the safety of other students or district employees. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(a))
- The board or its designee must give the student and the parent or guardian a copy of the DAEP placement order. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(g))
Long placements
- Some DAEP placements last longer than 60 days or past the end of the next grading period, whichever comes first. For these, the parent or guardian has a right to notice and a chance to take part in a proceeding before the school board or its designee. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(b))
Appealing a DAEP placement
- District policy may allow a student to appeal the campus behavior coordinator's decision to the board or its designee. If so, the board's decision is final and cannot be appealed further. This does not apply to expulsions. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(b))
Reviews during placement
- A student in DAEP must have their status reviewed, including academic status, by the board's designee at least every 120 days. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(e))
- For a high school student, the board's designee and the parent or guardian must review progress toward graduation and set a specific graduation plan. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(e))
- At the review, the student or parent or guardian must have a chance to argue for the student's return to the regular classroom or campus. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(e))
Expulsion hearings
- Before a student can be expelled, the board or its designee must give the student a hearing with due process as required by the U.S. Constitution. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(f))
- The parent or guardian must be invited to the hearing in writing. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(f))
- At the hearing, the student may be represented by a parent or guardian, or by another adult who can guide the student and who is not a school district employee. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(f))
- The district may hold the hearing even if no one attends for the student, as long as it made a good-faith effort to tell the student and parent or guardian the time and place. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(f))
- Before expelling a student, the board must consider self-defense, the student's intent or lack of intent, and the student's disciplinary history. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(f))
Appealing an expulsion
- If the board's designee made the expulsion decision, it can be appealed to the school board. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(f))
- The board's decision can be appealed by trial de novo (a new trial) in a district court in the county where the school district's central office is located. (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.009(f))
Source: Texas Education Code, Chapter 37. Districts may add procedures, but not take away these protections.
Frequently asked questions: Dallas ISD
How does Dallas ISD decide on a DAEP placement?
The campus behavior coordinator handles discipline and must schedule the conference/hearing within 3 days.
When is the DAEP placement conference at Dallas ISD?
The district gives the student and parent/guardian notice of the hearing. After that notice, the district may hold the hearing even if the student or parent/guardian does not attend.
How do I appeal a DAEP placement in Dallas ISD?
Appeals go in this order: (1) the Districtwide Student Discipline Hearing Officer, (2) the Student Engagement and Support Department/Student Engagement and Support Panel, (3) the Board of Trustees. The Board's decision is final, with exceptions. Deadline: A parent/guardian may request an appeal within 5 school days after the hearing.
How long do DAEP placements last in Dallas ISD?
Students are assigned to DAEP for at least 10 days.
Can a Dallas ISD expulsion be appealed?
Level IV (expulsion) decisions go through the district appeal levels. After that, they can be appealed to the State District Court of Dallas County, whose decision is final.
Sources
Every district-specific fact above was checked against the exact wording of these official Dallas ISD documents on November 1, 2026. Codes of conduct change each school year, so confirm details in the version that applies to your child.
General information, not legal advice. AdvocatED is an education advocacy service, not a law firm.
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