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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Once teachers start calling in sick, the gop will start to walk this back.[/quote]

Why would they do that though? Most don't like the DOE.[/quote]
Exactly. The DOE made classrooms war zones where the most vicious kids can’t be dismissed.[/quote]

Cite the specific Department of Education requirement that you claim did that.[/quote]

The mandate on “Significant disproportionality” which refers to three separate issues (1) identification for special education (also called eligibility); (2) educational placement (once identified as eligible for special education); and (3) discipline. The federal government started tracking what percentage of each race/ethnicity was identified in each category and how many students are in special ed for more than 40% of the day along with the race /ethnicity of each gender and if more students of one race/ethnicit were being suspended more than other students. They have mandated that every state department of education set up disproportionality departments. Millions and millions of dollars are being spent not on direct education but on paperwork and training.

There are 98 ways you can be disproportional - that is not a typo it actually is ninety eight.  7 races/ethnicities in 14 categories. 
They track 
ASIAN
BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN
NATIVE HAWAIIAN or OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER
HISPANIC/ LATINO
TWO OR MORE RACES
AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE
WHITE 
in any of the following 14 categories:
• Identification
o As a student with a disability
o With a particular disability
o Intellectual Disability
o Specific Learning Disability
o Emotional Disability
o Speech and Language Disability o Other Health Impaired
o Autism
•
Placement
o Inside Regular Education < 40%
o Inside separate schools/residential facilities
Disciplinary Removals
o Out-of-school suspensions/expulsions 10 days or fewer
o Out-of-school suspensions/expulsions > 10 days o In-school suspensions 10 days or fewer
o In-school suspensions 10 days or fewer > 10 days o Total disciplinary removals, including removals by
school personnel to and interim alternative education setting (IAES) and removals by hearing officer

For example, in Maryland, a local education agency (LEA) is identified if it has one or more subgroups of students evidencing a risk ratio of greater than 2.0 for two or more consecutive years. For example, a million dollar grant was given to Montgomery County Public Schools. The district’s goal for its $1 million award is to significantly reduce the disproportionate identification of emergent multilingual Hispanic/Latino students with intellectual disabilities.  There are a multitude of districts and the state as a whole that have been disproportionate such as Maryland has been significantly disproportionate in the out of school suspension (greater than 10 days) of Black/African American students for two of the past four years; One LEA has been significantly disproportionate in this area for three years.

This has led to students not being assessed. For example, let's say a Latino boy is doing great in math but having difficulty learning to read and has trouble with phonological awareness (ex. blending words together) despite receiving intervention. Well if he is in a district that has been dinged for over identifying Latino students there is pressure for him not to be referred for an evaluation for special education under Specific Learning Disability even though these are red flags for dyslexia.

This has also led to students not being disciplined because schools have to discipline /suspend students in each racial/ ethnic category in equal numbers to their proportions.  So the easiest thing to do is no longer suspend any student or impose discipline such as in school suspensions.

Why do districts care? It is because Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states and local education agencies (LEAs) are required to address significant disproportionality in the identification, placement, and discipline of students with disabilities based on race or ethnicity. While the IDEA doesn't explicitly impose monetary penalties, it outlines several required actions for LEAs identified with disproportionality, including reviewing and revising policies and practices, publicly reporting on revisions, and allocating 15% of Part B funds for early intervening services.

Now add to that laws that changed such as of July 1, 2022 Maryland state law has changed.
● Seclusion is strictly prohibited in all Maryland public school settings
● Physical restraint is still permitted as a last resort for a student who may
pose a danger to themselves or others

So districts have implemented programs such as:
Ukeru is a trauma informed hands-off, alternative approach to restraint and seclusion used for behavior management and de-escalation
● The program uses various safety techniques and blocking pads
[/quote]

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