No Safe Space: School Climate Experiences of Black Boys With and Without Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

Black boys often experience oppression and marginalization in schools. Black boys with disabilities in secondary school are frequently targeted with inequitable and biased discipline practices, exacerbating the school-to-prison pipeline. As such, it is important to examine the school climate experiences of Black boys to inform the creation of safe, predictable and affirming school environments. Using Critical Race Theory and Dis/ability Critical Race Studies as a framework, the current study examined the school climate experiences of Black boys with and without emotional and behavioral disorders (N = 16,031). Overall perceptions of school climate were similar across groups, but moderation analyses demonstrated that Black boys with EBD reported significantly more peer victimization and lower levels of peer support, order and discipline, and safety than Black boys without EBD. Disability classification also moderated the relationship between peer victimization and cultural acceptance, physical environment, order & discipline, and safety with the relationship being significant and negative for Black boys with EBD. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Impact Statement It is critical that we examine the intersectional experiences of Black boys with and without disabilities in schools. This study found that Black boys experience low levels of cultural acceptance in their schools and Black boys with disabilities reported lower levels of peer support and more peer victimization than Black boys without disabilities. As such, we must center these students’ experiences in the creation of safe and affirming school environments for them.