by Quintessa Williams
For years, Black parents and educators have sounded the alarm: far too many Black students — especially boys — are wrongfully placed in special education as a form of discipline rather than academic support.
“Behavior and disability are not the same thing,” says Georgia Flowers Lee, Vice President of United Teachers of Los Angeles and a retired special education teacher. “But too often, when a Black child has behavior issues, schools rush to classify them rather than addressing the root cause.”
Now, as President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon prepare to demolish the Department of Education, Black children — those with and without learning disabilities — face even greater risks of being misclassified, underserved, or pushed further into academic isolation.
New Data Confirms Routine Overrepresentation
National data consistently show that Black students are identified for special education at higher rates than their white peers. The most recent Civil Rights Data Collection report confirms that Black students make up 15% of the U.S. K-12 student population, but 17% of those in special education, compared to white students, who make up 46% but represent 13% placed in special education.
The disparities are greater in behavior-related disabilities. Black students are 40% more likely to be placed in special education than their peers, even when accounting for other factors, twice as likely as white students to be classified with emotional disturbance — often linked to school discipline, and 1.5 times as likely as white students to be classified as having an intellectual disability — a label that can limit and track students into lower educational pathways.
Once placed in special education, data shows that Black students often lose access to advanced coursework, AP classes, and college-prep programs. Rhianna Scyster, an educational equity expert and former special education teacher, is deeply concerned that Black students are being misclassified and misunderstood.
“The mindset that because a student has an IEP or 504 Plan, they cannot possibly do well in an advanced course—that is far from the truth,” she says.
Flowers Lee adds that low expectations can hamstring these students.
“We know that students in special education are less likely to graduate, less likely to go to college, and more likely to face school discipline,” she says. “So when schools make the wrong call, they are setting Black children up for a lifetime of limited opportunities.”
Scyster says she’s witnessed firsthand how most misclassifications of Black students are not because of actual disabilities but biased interpretations of their behavior.
“Educators who lack the ability to properly interpret Black students’ body language, articulation, learning styles, and tone will continue to mislabel their behaviors as problematic and refer them for behavioral interventions,” she says.
Scyster adds that Black students aren’t necessarily displaying more behavioral challenges but are more likely to be “perceived as disruptive by educators who aren’t trained” in culturally responsive teaching.
But with DEI programs in institutions that receive government funding on the chopping block, policies designed to curb racial bias in special education referrals are at risk of disappearing altogether.
Outcomes Will Worsen if We Lose DEI or the DOE
The current efforts to eliminate race-conscious programs before dismantling the Department of Education could cut critical protections and funding for students with disabilities, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — which guarantees students with disabilities access to a free and appropriate public education.
Also at risk are the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plans, which tailor K-12 education for disabled students, and the elimination of the Education Department Civil Rights offices—a move that could limit investigations into racial disparities in special education.
Flowers Lee warns that Black students in special education will be among the hardest hit if these programs are dismantled.
“We already don’t have enough resources,” she says. “Federal funding has never fully covered special education costs the way it was supposed to. But if we lose DEI programs on top of that, Black students will suffer the most.”
If We Don’t Fight, Then What?
With the future of special education hanging in the balance, Flowers Lee and Scyster are urging parents, teachers, and communities to push back against these rollbacks before it’s too late.
“If we don’t fight, what happens to the kids who actually need these services?” asks Flowers Lee. “What happens to the kids who were misdiagnosed? What happens to the struggling kids who could have made it if they’d gotten the right interventions?”
If DEI programs disappear, she says, “we erase the ability to challenge that.”
Scyster also encourages Black families to advocate for their children—especially as policies become more restrictive.
“Never be afraid to ask questions,” she says. “Show up to IEP meetings, don’t hesitate to challenge the school if something doesn’t feel right, and ensure that the student is included in the entire process so that they are equally knowledgeable on their rights and responsibilities.”
Source: Seattle Medium
