Disciplinary exclusion: Administrators' knowledge and application of the law governing suspension/expulsion of handicapped students

This study investigated the extent to which school administrators in New York State understood and applied the law governing discipline of handicapped students. The study examined the degree to which administrators were knowledgeable about relevant legal issues and the extent to which they could correctly apply that knowledge in hypothetical situations based on case law. An additional area of investigation determined which information sources most often were utilized by administrators to acquire information regarding exclusionary practices.;Three hundred school administrators from selected public schools in New York State were asked to complete the "Legal Issues Questionnaire." Questionnaires were mailed to one high school principal and the Committee on Special Education (CSE) chairperson in participating districts.;Dependent variables included administrators' scores on knowledge and application portions of the questionnaire. Independent variables included school district size, administrative position held, years of administrative experience, and prior training in school law. Administrative position referred to either principal or CSE chairperson. Multiple regression was used to investigate the extent that district size, role, experience, and number of law courses taken were significantly related to administrators' knowledge and ability to apply the law.;Results indicated that the role (principal or CSE chairperson) held by an individual was the strongest correlate of his or her knowledge of the law and ability to apply that knowledge in specific situations. While CSE chairpersons demonstrated significantly greater knowledge and a better ability to apply that knowledge than did secondary school principals, both groups demonstrated gaps in their understanding of key issues related to the discipline of handicapped students. District size, years of experience, and number of law courses, however, were not related significantly to respondents knowledge or ability to apply the law.;The study also found a significant relationship between the information sources respondents used and their knowledge and ability to apply the law governing disciplinary exclusion of handicapped students. This suggests that some information sources may provide a more effective means of reaching school administrators. Size of the school district and role of the administrator were related significantly to the importance administrators assigned to select information sources.