Guilford County Schools (GCS) is taking a closer look at how it disciplines students with special needs. At its meeting Tuesday, the county board of education received an update on the Department of Exceptional Children Improvement Plan.

In the presentation, staff reported that while 14.5 percent of all GCS students are students with disabilities, they accounted for more than 25 percent of all GCS students referred to a principal, 24.7 percent of all GCS students receiving in-school suspensions and 31.1 percent of all GCS students receiving out-of-school suspensions.

The research also found disparities when it came to black male students with disabilities. Staff reported those students make up for 4.7 percent of all GCS students, but they accounted for 13.6 percent of all GCS students referred, 13.4 percent of all GCS students receiving in-school suspensions and 16.8 percent of all GCS students receiving out-of-school suspensions.

“These numbers are of deep concern,” said Dr. Alicia Tate, executive director for exceptional children. “We are now working with principals and other staff members to develop best practices to address these concerns.”

GCS staff will also continue to support schools practicing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and provide professional development on functional behavior supports and intervention plans, classroom management and other items outlined in the improvement plan.

“We are talking with principals, teachers and school resource officers about different strategies to intervene proactively as opposed to reactively,” said Tate. “That can be very effective, especially when it comes to students with special needs.”

Tate says staff will continue to analyze the data to determine root causes of the numbers in order to better address the issues.

This is not a district-specific issue. Nationally, 13 percent of students with disabilities were suspended out of school compared to 6 percent of all students, according to data from the 2011-12 school year. In North Carolina that same year, 17 percent of students with disabilities were suspended out of school, compared to 8 percent of all students, according to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.