HER
HER SERIES ON SPECIAL ED CALLED BACK OF THE CLASS.
>> Reporter: WE FOUND
WASHINGTON STATE IS ONE OF THE
WORST IN THE COUNTRY AND
PUNISHING DISABLED KIDS FOR
BEHAVIORS BEYOND THEIR CONTROL.
BEHAVIORS RELATED TO THEIR
DISABILITY AND THAT'S A
VIOLATION OF STATE AND FEDERAL
LAW.>> DOGS ARE ADORABLE AND
THEIR EXCEL -- SO EXCITED TO
SEE PEOPLE.>> Reporter: THIS IS
ONE OF AUSTIN DILLINGER'S
FAVORITE PASTIMES.>> THEY NEED
FREEDOM LIKE US.
>> Reporter: HE SAID HE CAN
RELATE TO HOW THE DOGS PROBABLY
FEEL, UNWANTED LIKE YOU DON'T
BELONG.
BELONG.
BELONG. >> HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL
TO BE LABELED DIFFERENT?
>> PLUMLEE.
>> PLUMLEE. -- LONELY AT LUNCH AND AT
SCHOOL I SIT ALONE AND NO ONE
COMES AROUND AND SAYS HELLO.
WHEN I TRIED TO JOIN THEM AT
LUNCH, MOST OF THEM MOVE TO A
DIFFERENT TABLE.
DIFFERENT TABLE. IT SUCKS.
IT SUCKS.
IT SUCKS. >> Reporter: AUSTIN'S LABEL IN
MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS TROUBLEMAKER.
HE WAS CONSTANTLY THROWN OUT
FOR REFUSING TO FOLLOW THE
RULES.
RULES.
RULES. DOZENS OF REPORTS DESCRIBE AN
OBSTINATE KID, HELL-BENT ON
CAUSING CHAOS WITH HIS
EXPLOSIVE OUTBURSTS.
EXPLOSIVE OUTBURSTS. HIS TEACHER WROTE AUSTIN SHOWS
WILLFUL NONCOMPLIANCE AND A
REFUSAL TO FOLLOW DIRECTION OR
PARTICIPATE.
PARTICIPATE. >> IT FELT LIKE I WAS ONE OF
THE WORST KIDS THAT THERE EVER
WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE
CONSTANTLY SENDING ME HOME.>>
Reporter: EVALUATIONS FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND
OTHER EXPERTS SHOW THE
BEHAVIORS THAT GOT AUSTIN
KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL WEREN'T
HIS FAULT.
HIS FAULT. HE HAS ADHD AND AUTISM AND LIKE
THOUSANDS OF OTHER CHILDREN HE
WAS PUNISHED REPEATEDLY FOR
CONDUCT DIRECTLY RELATED TO HIS
DISABILITY AND THAT'S AGAINST
THE LAW.
THE LAW.
THE LAW. THE KING5 INVESTIGATORS FOUND
WASHINGTON HAS ONE OF THE WORST
TRACK RECORDS IN THE COUNTRY
FOR PUNISHING SPECIAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS . ONLY NINE STATES
KICK MORE KIDS WITH
DISABILITIES OUT OF SCHOOL.
THE NEIGHBORING STATES ON
AVERAGE WASHINGTON SUSPENDS
THREE TIMES MORE SPECIAL
EDUCATION STUDENTS IN OREGON
AND 33 TIMES MORE THAN IDAHO.
THINK OF THAT, 33 TIMES MORE
OFTEN THAN THE STATE NEXT DOOR.
THEY ARE GETTING LEFT BEHIND.
AND ATTORNEY WITH THE ACLU
WHICH IS SUING OSBI THE AGENCY
RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE STATE ALLOWED DISTRICTS TO
GET AWAY WITH MISUSING
DISCIPLINE FOR YEARS.
>> THE SCHOOL IS SAYING YOU ARE
DISPOSABLE, YOU AREN'T WORTH IT
AND YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE
IN SCHOOL ANYWAY.>> Reporter:
IT WAS HARD FOR AUSTIN WHO IS
NOW 14 TO NOT GIVE UP.
HE SCORES ABOVE AVERAGE IN MANY
SUSPECTS BUT IS MIDDLE SCHOOL
REPORTS CARDS WERE LOADED WITH
BAD GRADES AND IT'S NO WONDER.
ATTENDANCE RECORD SHOW IN
MIDDLE SCHOOL HE WAS EXCLUDED
FROM CLASS 107 DAYS THAT'S 22
WEEKS OF SCHOOL.
22 WEEKS OF MISSING CLASSES,
INSTRUCTION AND ASSIGNMENTS.
HIS MOM CHRISTINA.
>> IT WAS SO DIFFICULT TO GET
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO
UNDERSTAND THAT HE WASN'T JUST
NAUGHTY AND IT DIDN'T MATTER
WHAT KIND OF MEDICAL OVER ABOUT
TO I HAD TO DEFEND HIM, THEY
WEREN'T BUYING IT.
>> Reporter: WE THOUSAND FULL
-- UNLAWFUL PRACTICE IS GETTING
WORSE.
WORSE.
WORSE. IN
WORSE. IN 2013 KIDS WITH DISABILITIES
WERE SUSPENDED AT TWICE THE
RATE OF KIDS WITHOUT
DISABILITIES.
DISABILITIES. BY 2017 THEY WERE KICKED OUT
NEARLY 2.5 TIMES THE RATE OF
TYPICAL LEARNERS.
TYPICAL LEARNERS. >> TURNING IT INTO A LONG TERM
SUSPENSION HASN'T SERVED ANYONE
WELL.>> Reporter: THE STATES
TOP OFFICIAL ADMITS THE STATES
HAD OUTDATED POLICIES FOR
DECADES.
DECADES.
DECADES. >> WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HAVING
THE ENTIRE TEACHING CORE
RETHINK DISABILITIES.
RETHINK DISABILITIES. IT'S THE HARDEST THING TO DO IS
TRANSFORMING THE EXISTING INTO
NEW BEHAVIORS BUT THAT'S OUR
JOB.
JOB.
JOB. >>
JOB. >> I'M SORRY.>> IT'S OKAY.
>> Reporter: DURING OUR
INTERVIEW, AUSTIN SHOWED SIGNS
OF SHUTTING DOWN AND NEEDED A
BREAK.
BREAK.
BREAK. WE
BREAK. WE ASKED WHAT UPSET HIM.
>> JUST HEARING ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
>> Reporter: HOW DOES THAT MAKE
YOU FEEL THINKING ABOUT THE
PAST?>> SAID.
PAST?>> SAID. -- SAID.>> Reporter: WHEN HE
GROWS UP HE WANTS TO BE AN
ENGINEER FOR APPLE BUT HIS MOM
WORRIES ALL THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS
FAILURES HAVE ALREADY DAMAGED
HER SONS FELL FOR -- SELF-
WORTH, OPPORTUNITIES AND
DREAMS.
DREAMS.
DREAMS. >> I'VE BEEN SO ANGRY AND
CAUGHT UP IN FIGURING IT OUT
THAT I HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME TO
FEEL SAD.
FEEL SAD.
FEEL SAD. IT HURTS.
IT HURTS.
IT HURTS. HE HAS LOST SO MUCH BECAUSE HE
HAS A DISABILITY.>> Reporter:
WHAT ELSE ARE THE TEACHERS
SUPPOSED TO DO IF THE OTHER
KIDS ARE SIDETRACKED?
THERE ARE STRATEGIES TO PREVENT
MELTDOWNS IN THE FIRST PLACE
BUT THAT COSTS MONEY FOR
TRAINING AND STAFF.
THE STATE OF WASHINGTON ISN'T
PROVIDING ACROSS-THE-BOARD THE
RESOURCES TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN
SO YOU CAN SEE THE QUANDARY.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE
ABOUT THIS STORY AND LEARN MORE
DETAIL YOU CAN TEXT THE KEYWORD
INVESTIGATE TO THE NUMBER ON
YOUR SCREEN 206-448-4545 . WE
WILL SEND YOU A DIRECT LINK TO
THAT STORY.>> YOUR HEARTBREAKS
FOR AUSTIN AND ALL OF THESE
KIDS.
KIDS.
KIDS. YOU
KIDS. YOU GET ANGRY WHEN YOU HEAR
THOSE NUMBERS.
THOSE NUMBERS. HOW IS HE DOING?
>> Reporter: HE'S IN HIGH
SCHOOL ANDY'S IN THE YAKIMA
SCHOOL DISTRICT BUT IT DOESN'T
MATTER IT'S NOT A YAKIMA
PROBLEM OR A SEATTLE PROBLEM.
WE SEE THIS ACROSS THE STATE
AND HE IS DOING MUCH BETTER FOR
ONE THING HE'S OUT OF SPECIAL
ED AND HE'S NOW IN THE GENERAL
EDUCATION CLASS WITH AN AIDE
WHO'S WITH HIM DURING THE DAY.
THAT'S WHAT THE PEOPLE AT THE
UW HAVE SAID THAT'S NEEDED BUT
THEY DENIED HIM AND THEY TOLD
THE MOTHER IT WAS BECAUSE OF
MONEY>> I'M BLOWN AWAY BY THE
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS. I COULD NOT IMAGINE 33 TEAMS --
TIMES MORE IN THIS STATE?'S>>
Reporter: THEY ARE USING THE
TACTICS THAT I TALKED ABOUT,
YOU PREVENT THE MELTDOWN BUT
THE TEACHERS NOW, HOW CAN YOU
BLAME MOST OF THEM?
THEY ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN DO