Segregation/Integration of U.S. Schools Reviewed

Brown v. Board of Education - Information Bulletin # 66 5/04

May 17, 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision in which the Supreme Court held that school districts violated the Fourteenth Amendment by racially segregating children in schools.

What follows is a review of segregation of children based on disability.

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Education, which annually collects this data state by state and submits it to Congress, presents the following data for the 5,594,431 students between the ages of 6 and 18 with disabilities:

• A composite of "All Disabilities" shows that more than 1,236,373 children 22% of the total with disabilities remain in segregated settings, i.e., they are either entirely in "Separate Schools and Facilities" or spend more than 60 percent of their time "Outside Regular Classes," in separate classes for children with disabilities. (These are the definitions used by the U.S. Dept. of Education.)
  
• The flip side shows that only 2,742,219 less than half of all children with disabilities are "integrated" in their schools, i.e., they spend less than 21 percent of their time Outside Regular Classes or, in clearer terms, they spend more than 79% of their time in "regular" classes with children who are not disabled.
  
• The middle 29% are children with disabilities who spend between 21 - 60% of their school hours "Outside Regular Classes," presumably in "resource rooms" only for children with disabilities. Obviously, the more time they spend "OUTSIDE regular classes," i.e., closer to 60% than 21% of time, the more they are segregated.

A snap shot by specific disability classification shows:

• For children who have only an "orthopedic impairment"(these children have no other disabilities), 30.2% are in segregated settings (i.e., spend more than 60% of their time outside regular classes).
  
• For children who have either only a "hearing impairment," 37% are segregated and for children who have only a "visual impairment," 27.6% are segregated.
  
• By far the most segregation occurs for children classified as having "Mental Retardation." 57.3% of this population are segregated.

A breakdown by State - not local school districts - and by disability, graduation rates, drop out rates, etc.,can be found at http://www.ideadata.org/PartBDataMeeting2004.asp. Just click on your State.

School and education advocates have for too long been primarily parents of individual disabled children. As with housing and Olmstead issues, the SCHOOL segregation of children with disabilities in schools and educational settings must become an issue that goes far beyond the direct participants. A truly inclusive society and educational system can and should integrate children with disabilities.

While education is a "local" issue and your local school districts should be held accountable for segregating children with disabilities, your State Department of Education can and should as a policy issue review why such segregation exists in your local school district. Advocates should review the extent of disability segregation school district by school district.

Disability advocates must make education more than an individual child's issue; we must organize around education. Pretend every child with a disability is your own; would you accept a segregated educational system for your child?

Tell your school boards and state educational officials that Jim Crow education for children is NOT acceptable, whether based on race or disability.

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