Are Fewer Students with Disabilities Suspended When Schools Implement PBIS?

Relative to peers without disabilities, students with disabilities are more likely to experience exclusionary discipline. Specifically, students with disabilities experience disproportionate levels of restraint, seclusion, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and contacts with law enforcement. Further, after controlling for race (Black/African American) and gender identity (male)--demographic characteristics known to predict higher rates of exclusionary discipline--scholars have documented that the effects of disability persist. To reduce exclusionary discipline and improve student outcomes, many (>25,000) schools in the U.S. implement a continuum of social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) support within a positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework. This evaluation brief explores the relationship between (a) schools' implementation of Tier 1 (universal) support within a PBIS framework; and (b) the proportion of students with disabilities suspended.