According to 2018 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, black people are nearly twice as likely as white people to be unemployed, and hispanics or latinos are 1.15 times as likely to be unemployed in this country.

What’s more, an analysis from the Associated Press found that black people are still largely left out of the highest paying jobs in the United States.

The analysis stated that, “a white worker had a far better chance than a black one of holding a job in the 11 categories with the highest median annual salaries, as listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ratio of white-to-black workers is about 10-to-1 in management, 8-to-1 in computers and mathematics, 12-to-1 in law, and 7-to-1 in education — compared with a ratio of 5.5 white workers for every black one in all jobs nationally.”

Needless to say, statistics show that racism in the workplace is an enduring issue in this country.

The attorneys at Kennedy Hunt P.C. are experts in employment law. We have successfully represented our clients in many forms of employment law, including discrimination in the workplace.

Kennedy Hunt P.C. is prepared to help you. If you or someone you know has been a victim of discrimination in employment or in the workplace, our skilled attorneys want to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim.

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According to their Civil Rights data collection for the 2015-2016 school year released in April 2018, the disparity between discipline cases is wider than recent years in the past.

Most alarming is that there has been a significant increase in the gap between arrests and referrals to police for black students and non-black students. Black students are significantly more likely to experience these referrals than other students. Additionally, the report also notes that students with disabilities are still “vastly over-represented” among students involved in police interactions.

The information comes from more than 96,300 schools nationwide, and represents 50.6 million students.

The report also details that though black boys and girls each account for 8 percent of all students, black boys made up 25 percent of all students suspended out of school in 2015-16, and black girls — 14 percent. Going with this trend, though black students made up close to 16 percent of all students in this school year, they make up 31 percent of students arrested or referred to police. This disparity has grown by five percent since 2013-14.

Similarly, students with disabilities represented just 12 percent of overall student enrollment in 2015-16, yet they were involved in 28 percent of the police-involved incidents at schools.

The attorneys at Kennedy Hunt P.C. have a combined decades’ worth of experience in helping students and families facing disciplinary action at their schools, including minority students and students with disabilities.

If you or your child is facing disciplinary action against your school, Kennedy Hunt P.C. is ready to help you.

Learn more about our school discipline law practice, and fill out a case questionnaire so we can better understand your claim and how to best aid you.  

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According to the National Education Policy Center (NEPC), during the 2011-2012 school year, there were 311 full-time virtual schools across the U.S. and about 200,000 students enrolled. In 2016, those numbers increased; 278,000 students were enrolled in 528 full-time virtual schools.

And, as reported in the Riverfront Times August 15 cover story, Virtual Education is Increasingly a Big Profit Center, But at What Cost to Students?, students are more of often placed in these learning programs as a way to relieve school districts from potential conflicts created by the student’s physical enrollment. The students who end up in these programs are often identified as those with behavior issues..

More often than not, these virtual education centers have a negative impact on students’ learning. In 2017, the NEPC reported that “blended” schools (those that have face-to-face learning and virtual education, combined) received a 72 percent acceptable performance rating. Whereas 37.4 percent of full-time virtual schools received acceptable performance ratings. What’s more, the national average of students who graduate on time in public schools is 82 percent. And for those who “attend” virtual schools, it’s a mere 43 percent.

Our firm has represented families affected by the growing popularity of virtual education, including in D.L. v. Saint Louis Public School District. SLPS wanted to place our 10 year-old client with autism and ADHD in an alternative school with a curriculum based on a virtual education theory. Our firm believes the district’s motivation was to rid themselves of the responsibility that went with educating a student with special education needs.

Children in this country have the right to equal education. If you or your child has been negatively affected by virtual education, our experienced attorneys are equipped to help you. Contact us.

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What’s more, of these 28,181 cases of housing discrimination, 55 percent involved discrimination against individuals with disabilities, 19.6 percent were based on racial discrimination and 8.5 percent were against families with kids.

A recent case out of Portland, Oregon, proves just how pervasive housing discrimination, especially against renters, is in this country. In a Nov. 20 article published in the Oregonian, it was revealed that in Portland, landlords are 25 percent more likely to give worse treatment to people of color and immigrants during the rental process.

In a statement released on the same day, Portland’s mayor Ted Wheller, said, “The results from the fair housing report indicate something we have been working to remedy locally, and in our nation — an inherited history of discrimination. I think we can all agree we have much further to go.”   

This type of discrimination is illegal in all states in the U.S.

The U.S. Fair Housing Act bans giving preference to housing based on race, national origin, religion, sex, family status and disability.

The attorneys at Kennedy Hunt P.C. work to ensure that all individuals receive fair housing opportunities.

In one of our cases, we successfully defended victims of housing discrimination in Effingham, Illinois.

U.S. et al. v. Wallschlaeger, 3:14-cv-00129-SMY (S.D. Ill.).

We represented tenants of a trailer park in Effingham, Illinois who were victims of racial discrimination. Our client, a resident of the trailer park, became disabled and invited his niece to move in and assist him with activities of daily living. When she invited her African American boyfriend to live with them, the manager of the mobile home park refused to allow him on the lease. Racial epithets and threats were then directed to the young man. No African Americans had ever lived in the trailer park before. Eventually all three clients had to move from the park. The clients contacted HOPE Fair Housing Center in Chicago, which referred the case to the U.S. Department of Justice. Caucasian and African American testers then visited the park and inquired about possible residency: the Caucasian testers were immediately offered a lease, while the African American testers were discouraged from applying. The U. S. Dept. of Justice filed suit against the owner of the trailer park as well as the managers, and our clients intervened in the case. After lengthy pretrial discovery, the case was eventually settled. Pursuant to a consent decree, our clients were received damages in the amount of $217,500, the landlord paid a civil penalty of $50,000, and the landlord agreed to establishment of nondiscriminatory application process and to Fair Housing training.

If you have been a victim of housing discrimination, we want to help you. Fill out a case questionnaire so the dedicated and skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt P.C. can better understand your claim.

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To date, 33 states have adopted the Medicaid expansion. The state of Illinois is one of them, meaning that people living with disabilities in this state has much better odds at being employed than those in states without the expansion. Missouri, on the other hand, has not adopted the Medicaid expansion.

According to the American Journal on Public Health, in states participating in the Medicaid expansion, the number of people reporting not working due to their disability has significantly decreased.

In states without it, Missouri included, people with disabilities are not experiencing any significant employment changes.

In a press release from the University of Kansas, researchers wrote, “In effect, Medicaid expansion is acting as an employment incentive for people with disabilities.”

The benefits of being employed are undeniable. Having both Medicaid coverage and employment allows people with disabilities more independence, increases the amount of people paying taxes and lowers unemployment in states that adopted Medicaid expansion.

At Kennedy Hunt P.C., we believe it is not only essential that individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to work, but that these individuals also work in a non-discriminatory environment.

We have years of experience defending employees who have been discriminated against in the workplace, including individuals with disabilities.

In 2008, we successfully defended a former police officer who was discriminated against in the workplace.

Bouas v. Board of Educ., Mascoutah Comm. U. Sch. Dist., Charge No. 19, (Illinois Human Rights Commission 2008):
This is an employment discrimination case against a school district which initially hired our client, a former police officer, then fired him from his campus monitor job when it learned that he received disability benefits. Our client sought reimbursement, back pay and reinstatement to the job. The case settled. Charge No. 560-2008-02929.

Our expert attorneys want to ensure that employees, including those with disabilities, are not being discriminated against in their workplace. If you believe you’ve experienced workplace discrimination, fill out a case questionnaire so we can better understand your claim.

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