Disciplinary Exclusions in Special Education: A 4-Year Analysis

Current discipline policies have led to an increase in the use of exclusion with students with disabilities, thereby preventing some from receiving a free and appropriate public education. Students from ethnically and racially diverse groups and students with emotional or behavioral disorders are reported to have disproportionately higher rates of suspensions than others. The authors of this study analyzed disciplinary exclusion data in the last 4 years published by the U.S. Department of Education. Results indicated that (a) there was an increasing trend in exclusion of special education students; (b) African American and American Indian/Alaskan Native students were excluded more often than students from other racial groups; (c) some states excluded students with disabilities more often than the rest of the states; (d) students in the West were removed by school personnel more often than students in the other regions; (e) students in the South were more likely to receive short-term suspensions; and (f) interaction effects existed between certain variables. The authors discuss these results and make recommendations for future research.