Harsh Discipline More Common For Students with Disabilities - USA

By Michelle Diament: Federal officials say schools are restraining and secluding kids with disabilities far more often than other children and are disproportionately referring them to law enforcement.

Statistics released Friday from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights reveal widespread disparities in discipline between students in special education and their typically-developing peers.

Kids with disabilities represent three-quarters of children physically restrained and 58 percent of those placed in seclusion or some other form of involuntary confinement at school, the Education Department said. Such children are also more than twice as likely to receive an out-of-school suspension.

What's more, federal officials found that children served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act account for a quarter of all students who are arrested and referred to law enforcement by schools.

Meanwhile, kids with disabilities represent just 12 percent of the nation's students.

More of the article here: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/03/21/harsh-discipline-disabilities/19218/