Disability is often an obstacle to higher education for many students. In our efforts to improve the pipeline for disabled students, we often fail to consider how other characteristics compound the marginalization of these students. Students who live at the intersection of race and disability are disproportionately impacted in higher education.
After two years of deliberations, Governor Pritzker of Illinois signed HB 219 into law. The new law will protect Illinois students in schools by barring dangerous forms of isolation and physical restraint unless there is “imminent danger of serious physical harm” while schools work towards reduction and total elimination of these practices over time.(External link)
In July 2021, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights supporting several important legal reforms and other measures to ensure the nondiscriminatory administration of school discipline.
In June 2021, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo sent a letter in support of the Keeping All Students Safe Act.
In 2020, the ABA House of Delegates approved Resolution 103, addressing the use of seclusion and restraint in schools. Click the link to read the resolution and accompanying report.
