It's no secret that America's education system is riddled with problems. For starters, the woman chosen to head the Department of Education is quite unfamiliar with the very educational system she is tasked with running. From the unqualified running our school systems to our school systems criminalizing black girls, the crisis in our classrooms is only growing larger by the day.There are many issues we could point out and discuss that show racial disparities in the education system but there is one issue that sticks out. Special education has increasingly operated in a way that creates hidden racial gaps for students of color.

The most recent federal data published by National Center for Education Statistics found that by 2014-15 the number of children and youth served under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was 6.6 million. That's 13 percent of the total school enrollment. Black students were the second highest group served under IDEA behind American Indian/Alaska Native. The number of black students in special education is alarming because it calls into question if all of those students have been properly identified and diagnosed rather than tossed aside because of potential behavioral issues. During his tenure, President Obama made sure his My Brother's Keeper Task Force identified restoring equity for students with disabilities as a key priority. Why? Because there are detrimental lasting impacts when black kids are misidentified, taught in classrooms separate from their peers, and subjected to inappropriate disciplinary action.

Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B.King Jr. once said: "Children with disabilities are often disproportionately and unfairly suspended and expelled from school and educated in classrooms separate from their peers," said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. "Children of color with disabilities are overrepresented within the special education population, and the contrast in how frequently they are disciplined is even starker." The last administration saw that there were racial inequities for special education students under IDEA, but the current administration continues to overlook the growing problem and put the budget for special education on the chopping block with various healthcare and appropriation bills.

So where does this leave black students? It leaves them in a mess for parents to try and navigate to give their children a better future. According to the Advocate's article "Black Boys In Crisis: Why Are So Many Of Them In Special Education?" Black boys are more likely than any other group to be placed in special ed classes and account for 20 percent of U.S. students labeled mentally retarded. They are also 2.5 times less likely to be classified as "gifted and talented" even if their academic records show potential. For students who are properly labeled only 57 percent of black special education students graduate with traditional high school diploma while 73 percent of their white counterparts graduate with theirs. For students who are unable to complete the traditional high school diploma track and are assigned to alternative diplomas,17 percent of black students are forced to do this versus the 11 percent of white students who are. 

It's clear that black students are being handed the short end of the stick when it comes to special education. From mislabeled to alternative diplomas, black students are misunderstood and left to trail behind those who get more resources and proper diagnosis. Though it may seem like we don't have a voice in this fight, we do. As students, teachers, parents, family and friends; we have the duty to make sure our black students aren't pushed into a system that isn't working for them. Proper diagnosis and proper disciplinary actions for students of color need to be addressed with school officials. Now that President Obama is gone, we all we got.