Stay-Put Provision

After students with disabilities are placed in special education programs, their placements may not be changed unless their parents are notified in writing of proposed changes and have been given opportunities to contest the actions of school officials (20 U.S.C. § 1415(b)(3)). Additionally, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides that while administrative due process hearings or judicial actions are pending, students are to remain in their “then current placement” unless their parents and school boards agree to some other arrangement (20 U.S.C. § 1415(j)). This portion of the law has become known as the stay-put or status quo provision. The purpose of the stay-put provision is to provide educational stability and consistency (Gabel ex rel. L.G. v. Board of Education of the Hyde ...