New findings by the Council of State Government’s Justice Center made a bitter discovery this year when it found that Texas public schools more frequently disciplined children with learning disabilities by in school suspension, out-of-school suspension, and expulsion. Records were evaluated at Texas’s largest school system which enrolls close to one million students. They revealed that 75% of middle and high school students with disabilities had been suspended, expelled, or both at least once. Only 55% of the learning disabled students had not suffered those consequences.

Findings showed that the punishments were equally administered to the disabled students. Of those students suffering from an emotional disturbance, 90% were suspended or expelled at least once between the 7th through the 12th grades. Even more astounding was the fact that half of this group were suspended or expelled more than (eleven) 11 times.

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Abusive behavior with potentially serious social and mental health consequences for children and adolescents” is the definition given the word bully by the American Medical Association. Bullying affects the entire school system – not only the bully and the person being bullied, but the entire student body. The Michael Tiger Human Rights Center reports that 40% of Texas students reported being verbally bullied last year. This does not include other forms of bullying such as striking another student or cyber bullying. Implications of bullying include depression, thoughts of suicide, loss of self-esteem, anxiety, body aches, insomnia, and violent behavior which may include carrying weapons to school.

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