Beaverton, Portland, Tigard schools sanctioned for disciplining minority special ed students at higher rate | OregonLive.com

Beaverton, Portland, Tigard schools sanctioned for disciplining minority special ed students at higher rate | OregonLive.com

Beaverton, Portland, Tigard schools sanctioned for disciplining minority special ed students at higher rate

View full sizeThe OregonianThe Beaverton School District is one of three in the Portland area to be sanctioned for suspending and expelling a disproportionate ratio of minorities in special education, based on a federal law the state began enforcing in 2008.

Beaverton School District has a $543,000 hole to fill in its special education fund next school year because staff disciplined a higher ratio of Latino students in special education than in the general school population.

The district is one of three in the Portland area to get dinged for suspending and expelling a disproportionate ratio of minorities in special education, based on a federal law the state began enforcing in 2008.

The law, part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, was created to help deal with a decades-old national problem -- minorities are over-represented in special education.

Under the law, states must monitor districts for mislabeling minority students as needing special education. In addition, they must determine if schools are disproportionately disciplining minorities and over-