Yesterday, Education World reported on data released from the U.S. Department of Education that revealed a startling number of students were chronically absent in the 2013-2014 school year.

Today, further analysis of the data reveals more troubling news. Many of the students who were chronically absent two years ago were schools’ neediest learners: disabled students.

"High school students with disabilities were 1.3 times as likely to [be chronically absent] while elementary school kids with disabilities were 1.5 times more likely to be chronically absent as compared to their typically-developing peers, the report indicates,” according to Disability Scoop.

But not only did the data reveal that disabled students are more likely to miss more than 15 school days a year. The data also revealed that disabled students are disproportionately suspended compared to their peers.

"Overall, 11 percent of students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act received out-of-school suspensions, the Education Department found, compared to 5 percent of children without disabilities,” the article said.

Out of 100,000 disciplined in the 2013-2014, a steep 67,000 of those students have some form of disability.

Coupled with the fact that disabled students are more likely to be absent, the fact that they are also more likely to miss school for disciplinary reasons means that students in the most need of hands-on education are being missed on a large scale.

These trends certainly contribute to the fact that one in five students with disabilities are held back or retained year after year.

Read more about the data here.

Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

6/8/2016