The New York Times reported on a new analysis of Department of Education data that says that students with disabilities are almost two times as likely to be suspended from their school as non-disabled students. The article also discussed school districts, some in Illinois, where the suspension rates for students of minority races are significantly higher than those of white students. The ACLU said schools facing these problems should look to other schools for answers about how to fix it. The ACLU, which advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, believes all students have the right to be in school.
“There are schools that have low-income, high-minority populations where they don’t have high suspension rates,” said Dennis Parker, director of the Racial Justice Program at the American Civil Liberties Union. Mr. Parker added that schools could lower suspensions by “creating an environment in which students are less likely to misbehave.”
