An Oklahoma Watch investigation finds that across the state, special education students are being paddled, suspended and expelled at higher rates than those of other students.
Students with physical and mental disabilities in Oklahoma are bearing much of the brunt of classroom discipline, government data show.
They're more likely than their peers to be suspended, expelled, arrested, handcuffed or paddled.
In dozens of schools, special education students are anywhere from two to ten times more likely to be disciplined, the data show.
An Oklahoma Watch review of that data found that Oklahoma ranked first in the nation in rates of special education students being expelled from schools.
It ranked fourth in corporal punishment of such students, 19th in in-school suspensions, 28th in out-of-school suspensions and 20th in arrests. Some of these reflect Oklahoma's general higher rates of discipline.
But in each category, the share of special education students who were disciplined was higher than that of the other students, data show.
The discipline trend has angered and frustrated some Oklahoma parents and triggered calls for reform from groups that advocate for special-needs children.
