Children of color with disabilities are hit hardest by exclusionary school practices.
MAC is here to work toward change.
Spotlight On: Police in Schools
Today, across the country, 70 percent of students involved in in-school arrests or referred to law enforcement are Black or Latinx. A policing reform bill in the Massachusetts legislature could be a key to fighting police brutality in our schools.
At a Glance
Segregated Classrooms
Over half of Black students with autism in Massachusetts are in substantially separate classrooms – double the rate for White students with autism. More than 40% of Latinx students with autism are substantially separated from their non-disabled peers.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education SY 2019
(Data analysis by Massachusetts Advocates for Children)
The School-to-Prison Pipeline
A 2017 study found that more than half of Black people with disabilities will be arrested by the age of 28.
The road to incarceration often begins with schools. Across the country, including in Massachusetts, students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by school disciplinary policies.
MAC is disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline by advocating for safe and supportive learning environments, transparency in the reporting of demographic data of students impacted by school disciplinary policies, and by representing students unfairly punished in school.
Resources: Autism and Race
Pacific Standard
