This paper reports on the perceptions of West Virginia teachers and administrators regarding the effectiveness of individual education plans (IEPs) in guiding discipline decisions for students with disabilities. Telephone interviews were conducted with 141 regular and special education teachers and administrators in all 55 West Virginia counties. Results indicate that IEPs often address academic rather than social, emotional, or behavioral needs, and the use of the IEP process to guide discipline procedures is seen as time-consuming and cumbersome. Consequently, students with disabilities often receive the same instructional programming and discipline procedures as regular education students. In addition, the frequent use of suspension and homebound instruction only serves to remove students with emotional and behavioral disorders from the environment in which they can learn appropriate social skills. The following recommendations are offered for improving the use of the IEP process in student disciplinary action: (1) training preservice and inservice teachers in using IEPs to guide discipline decisions; (2) identifying behavioral interventions and discipline procedures that incorporate proactive social skills; (3) keeping regular classroom teachers informed of behavioral interventions outlined in IEPs in order that social skills instruction can be incorporated into the regular classroom; (4) actively involving parents and students in IEP development; (5) adopting a proactive stance with regard to the needs of students at risk of school failure; and (6) assuring that student rights are protected by determining the relationship between disability and misbehavior. (LP)