WSMV4

More Tennessee school districts are disciplining Black students with disabilities at a higher rate than their peers, according to the latest state data. WSMV4 Investigator Courtney Allen uncovered which ones in the Midstate have been flagged. It is a story we have heard from multiple parents. “This is the 10th phone call I have got in the month about picking him up,” Telisha Turner, whose son has autism, said. Parents of Black students with special needs said they have been called repeatedly to pick their kids up from school for behavior. That is what Turner said happened at her son’s first school. “I am a single parent,” Turner said. “I am working to provide for us. I can’t keep picking him up.” WSMV4 Investigates uncovered that it is happening in more districts. The latest data shows that in the 2023-2024 school year, 21 Tennessee school districts were identified as having significant disproportionality. That is a jump from just nine districts identified in the previous school year.