Kids with disabilities face off-the-books school suspensions
Advocates say schools increasingly are removing children with disabilities from the classroom because of behavior issues related to their disability but not recording the actions as suspension
By MEREDITH KOLODNER and ANNIE MA
Published - Oct 04, 2022, 09:02 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 24, 2023, 04:36 AM EDT
The phone call from her son’s school was alarming. The assistant principal told her to come to the school immediately.
But when Lisa Manwell arrived at Pioneer Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan, her son wasn’t sick or injured. He was sitting calmly in the principal’s office.
John, who has ADHD and finds it soothing to fidget during class, had been removed from the classroom after he refused to stop using a pair of safety scissors to cut his cuticles.
When she asked why he couldn’t stay for the rest of the day, Manwell said the school told her they would call child protective services if she didn’t take him home.
