Discipline removal of students with disabilities in Texas: Patterns and trends across 15 years

Abstract

In Texas public schools, discipline practices are governed by state and federal laws. These laws are intended to provide protections for students with disabilities to ensure that disciplinary actions take into consideration the nature and the impact of the disability. Although these laws and practices are in place, there is concern that students with disabilities continue to be overrepresented in alternative disciplinary settings. This study explores the extent to which students with disabilities have been effected by these laws and practices over a 15-year period. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to explore trends and patterns of disciplinary practices in Texas schools from 2007 to 2022. This study was interested in the extent to which students are removed from schools for disciplinary reasons, the types of disciplinary placements, and the degree to which discretionary and mandatory removals and used. Results indicate that there has been a steady decreasing trend in discipline removals for both students with and without disabilities. Simultaneously, there has been an increase in completion rates and a decrease in dropout rates. Despite these trends, students with disabilities continue to be overrepresented in alternative setting removals. Further, most of the discipline removals are for reasons that are at the discretion of the school, as opposed to disciplinary removals mandated by the state. Reasons for these discrepancies are discussed as are recommendations for improving these results.