Extracurricular activities and the IEP

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Your child has the right to take part in clubs, sports, field trips, lunch and recess with other kids as much as is right for them. If your child needs help to join, such as an aide, a ride or a changed rule, the IEP team can write that support into the IEP. The school should not leave your child out because of a disability.

Extracurricular and nonacademic activities are part of school, and they are part of your child's IEP. Federal rules say children with disabilities should take part in meals, recess and other nonacademic and extracurricular activities with children without disabilities as much as is right for each child. The school must provide the extra aids and services the IEP team decides your child needs to join in.^[1] Schools must also offer these activities in a way that gives children with disabilities an equal chance to take part.^[4]

The IEP itself must describe the services and supports your child needs to take part in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities.^[2] So if your child needs help to join the chess club or ride the bus to a game, that help belongs in the IEP.

What counts as extracurricular and nonacademic

The words cover more than sports. Here is what they usually include:

During the school day: lunch, recess, assemblies, field trips, school dances, class parties
After school: clubs, sports teams, band, drama, student council
Other school-run programs: summer camps run by the school, school-sponsored trips, counseling services

If the school offers it to students without disabilities, your child should have a fair chance to take part too. That does not mean every child makes every team. A tryout for a competitive team can still have tryouts. It means your child should not be shut out because of a disability, and should get the help they need to try.

What the law says, in plain words

The rule	What it means for your child
Take part with peers as much as is right for your child	Your child should not be placed in a separate lunch or recess unless the IEP team decides there is a real need
Get the aids and services the IEP team says are needed	If your child needs an aide, a ride, or a changed rule to join, the IEP can list it
The IEP explains any time apart from peers	If your child will not join peers in an activity, the IEP must say so and why
The team decides	You are part of the team that makes these choices

States and districts may add their own rules, such as rules for school sports leagues. Ask for your state's parent guide.

An annotated example you can hold next to your child's IEP

This example is made up. Owen is in 7th grade and has autism. He wants to join the robotics club, which meets after school twice a week. Notes in italics explain each part.

Supplementary aids and services: Para support during robotics club, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:00 to 4:30, for the first 6 weeks. Note: The support is listed with days, times and a time limit.

Accommodations: Written list of each meeting's steps, given at the start of club. Option to take a 5-minute break in the hallway. Note: These are the same supports that work for Owen in class, carried into club.

Transportation: Late bus home on club days. Note: If your child rides special transportation, ask about after-school rides. Without one, your child cannot stay.

Review: Case manager and club advisor meet in week 6 to decide whether para support should continue, fade or stop. Note: A plan to fade help keeps the goal on Owen joining on his own.

Participation with peers: Owen takes part in lunch, recess, assemblies and all clubs with peers without disabilities. Note: This is the part of the LRE statement that covers nonacademic time.

If your child's IEP says nothing about clubs or sports, that may be fine if your child does not need help to join. If your child does need help, it should be written down.

Common situations

Field trips. Your child should go on the same trips as the class. If your child needs a nurse, medicine, a wheelchair bus or an aide, the school should plan for it. Asking you to come along as the only way your child can go is a red flag. Ask what support the school will provide.

Lunch and recess. A separate lunch table or recess just for students with IEPs should be based on a real need written in the IEP. Many children do better with a little help, like a peer buddy or a quiet table option, than with a separate room.

Sports. Your child may need changes to join, such as extra time for a race start or a visual signal instead of a whistle. Some changes are easy. Others affect the game for everyone, and leagues have their own rules. Ask the team and the coach together.

Clubs. Most clubs are a good place to practice social and self-advocacy skills. The team can write a goal that happens in a club setting. The leisure and recreation goals page shows examples, and the leisure skills IEP goals guide explains how teachers write them.

Questions to ask the team

You can read these word for word:

"My child wants to join the art club. What support would help my child take part?"
"Can we write the aide support for the club into the IEP, with days and times?"
"How will my child get home after the club meets?"
"Will my child go on all the class field trips? What help will be there?"
"Why does my child eat lunch in a separate room? What would help my child eat with classmates?"
"Who will tell the coach or advisor about my child's accommodations?"
"Can we add a goal that my child practices during recess or a club?"
"When will we check whether the support is still needed?"

What to do next

Make a list of the activities your child wants to try this year.
Read the LRE or placement section of the IEP. Look for lunch, recess and activities.
Ask for an IEP meeting, or an amendment, if your child needs support to join something new.
Share your child's accommodations with the coach or advisor, with the case manager's help.
If your child is left out and the school will not help, ask for a meeting in writing and keep a copy.
For free help, contact your state's Parent Training and Information Center through the Center for Parent Information and Resources.^[3]

For the bigger picture on where your child learns, read the guide to least restrictive environment and the continuum of placements. Summer programs are a separate topic covered in ESY vs summer school.

Frequently asked questions

Does the school have to provide an aide for after-school activities?

If the IEP team decides your child needs an aide to take part in an after-school activity, the school must provide it. The support should be written into the IEP with the activity, days and times.

Can my child be cut from a sports team?

Yes, if the team has tryouts and your child does not make it for reasons that apply to every student. Your child should not be kept from trying out because of a disability, and should get the supports needed to try.

Can the school require me to go on field trips with my child?

Field trips are school activities. If your child needs support to go, the school should provide it, just as it does during the school day. You can choose to go, but it should not be the only way your child can attend.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.117: Nonacademic settings, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Center for Parent Information and Resources, CPIR
34 CFR §300.107: Nonacademic services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.