Students with learning disabilities are suspended at disproportionate rates in schools. Although research has shown the ineffectiveness of suspension as a disciplinary tool, school administrators continue to use it to combat behavior infractions. This column presents a review of the literature on suspension for students with learning disabilities, its impact on their academic achievement, and sociodemographic factors that put students with learning disabilities at risk for suspension. Implications are discussed and further areas of research are suggested.
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KrezmienM. P.LeoneP. E.AchillesG. M. (2006). Suspension, race, and disability: Analysis of statewide practices and reporting. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 14(4), 217–226.
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Raffaele MendezL.M.R.KnoffH. M. (2003). Who gets suspended from school and why: A demographic analysis of schools and disciplinary infractions in a large school district. Education and Treatment of Children, 26, 30–51.
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Raffaele MendezL. M.KnoffH. M.FerronJ. M. (2002). School demographic variables and out-of-school suspension rates: A quantitative and qualitative analysis of a large, ethnically diverse school district. Psychology in the Schools, 39(3), 259–277.
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SullivanA. L.Van NormanE. R.KlingbeilD. A. (2014). Exclusionary discipline of students with disabilities: Student and school characteristics predicting suspension. Remedial and Special Education, 35(4), 199–210.
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VincentC. G.TobinT. J. (2011). An examination of the relationship between implementation of school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) and exclusion of students from various ethnic backgrounds with and without disabilities. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 19(4), 217–232.
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