Advocates urge DESE to publish cross-tabulated discipline and special-education data

Witnesses representing Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Appleseed and other organizations urged the Joint Committee on Education to require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to make cross-tabulated data publicly available so that stakeholders can analyze discipline and special-education outcomes across intersecting student identities.

Jovan Okunde, a disability equity and access staffer for Massachusetts Advocates for Children, told the committee that cross-tabulated reporting is essential because race and disability intersect and produce different outcomes than aggregate data shows. "Cross tabulating data about black students and students with disabilities will allow the public to get easy access to information about special education and school discipline disparities," he said.

Nadia Romanazi of Appleseed presented statistics her organization compiled showing deep disparities, noting that "black girls in Massachusetts are 5 times more likely to face out-of-school exclusionary discipline than white girls" and that discipline referrals and law-enforcement contacts cluster among economically disadvantaged students.

Supporters argued the bill simply directs DESE to publish data it already collects in a format that allows intersectional analysis and noted privacy protections for small counts. Committee members asked about DESE staffing and implementation; witnesses said previous cooperation existed but that staffing changes and transitions have complicated data updates.

The committee closed the hearing on H.546/S.317 after testimony and requested written materials.