Showing that New York City public schools are routinely violating federal laws designed to protect students with disabilities from excessive punishment, particularly in suspension cases, investigations reveal that schools often fail to consider whether a student’s behavior is linked to their disability or a lack of required services. These failures disproportionately impact Black and Latinx students, who are more likely to be suspended and less likely to have their disabilities recognized in disciplinary reviews. Despite past reforms and legal settlements, oversight has weakened, leading advocates to warn that the system remains deeply flawed and punitive.
