Students who receive special education services are typically considered at-risk and their overall academic and social outcomes are more dismal than they are for other students (Mallett, 2017; Mihalas et al., 2009). Yet, it is these students who are more often suspended out of school, than their regular education peers, and a significant number are from minoritized groups (Children and Youth with Disabilities, 2018; Civil Rights Data Collection, 2014). Additionally, many of these students, especially those with emotional and behavioral exceptionalities (EBEs), exhibit more behaviors that are perceived as undesirable than do their peers in the regular education program (Denault & Déry, 2015). Removing and segregating students from the learning setting as a consequence of undesirable behaviors is not a good practice. Students with EBEs have multifaceted needs that can sometimes be very difficult to ascertain and address (Mihalas et al., 2009). They are among the lowest percentage of students with exceptionalities who are educated in the general education classroom. This is probably because many teachers feel unprepared and unknowledgeable about meeting their needs so they prefer to not have them in their general education settings (Mihalas et al., 2009; Niesyn, 2009). For most students with EBEs, who also need mental health services, schools are not providing adequate services (Tsai, Yeh, & Slymen, 2015). Since most children spend a significant portion of their day at school, teachers and other school personnel must be viewed as the main service-providers (Mihalas et al., 2009). Schools must intentionally and consciously approach the conundrum of discipline from a proactive and preventative perspective, rather than a punitive one. As more and more children are becoming at-risk for developing and manifesting behaviors that may align with EBEs, attention must be turned to interdisciplinary collaboration to better help them (Stormont, Reinke, & Herman, 2011). One such recommended collaboration is the Interconnected Connected Systems Framework (ISF) which merges Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS) and School Mental Health (SMH) Services, reinforcing the philosophy of System of Care (Anello, et al., 2017; Eber et al., 2008; & Farmer, 2013). The IDEA (2014) also includes PBIS as a research-documented effective approach to discipline (PBIS, 2018). The use of these mechanisms should be seriously considered as a means of improving the emotional, social, mental, and academic outcomes of students with EBEs so that they, too, may experience more productive lives. References Anello, V., Weist, M., Eber, L., Barrett, S., Cashman, J., Rosser, M., & Bazyk, S. (2017). Readiness for positive behavioral interventions and supports and school mental health interconnection: Preliminary development of a stakeholder survey. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 25(2), 82-95. Children and Youth with Disabilities (2018). https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp Civil Rights Data Collection. Data Snapshot: School Discipline. (2014). https://ocrdata.ed.gov/downloads/crdc-school-discipline-snapshot.pdf Denault, A. S., & Déry, M. (2015). Participation in organized activities and conduct problems in elementary school: The mediating effect of social skills. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 23(3), 167-179. Eber, L., Breen, K., Rose, J., Unizycki, R. M., & London, T. H. (2008). Wraparound: As a tertiary level intervention for students with emotional/behavioral needs. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(6), 16-22. Farmer, T. W. (2013). When Universal Approaches and Prevention Services Are Not Enough: The Importance of Understanding the Stigmatization of Special Education for Students with EBD A Response to Kauffman and Badar. Behavioral Disorders, 39(1), 32-42. Mallett, C. A. (2017). The school-to-prison pipeline: Disproportionate impact on vulnerable children and adolescents. Education and urban society, 49(6), 563-592. Mihalas, S., Morse, W. C., Allsopp, D. H., & Alvarez McHatton, P. (2009). Cultivating caring relationships between teachers and secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders: Implications for research and practice. Remedial and Special Education, 30(2), 108-125. Niesyn, M. E. (2009). Strategies for success: Evidence-based instructional practices for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 53(4), 227-234. PBIS and the Law (2018). Retrieved from https://www.pbis.org/school/pbis-and-the-law Stormont, M., Reinke, W., & Herman, K. (2011). Teachers’ knowledge of evidence-based interventions and available school resources for children with emotional and behavioral problems. Journal of Behavioral Education, 20(2), 138. Tsai, K. H., Yeh, M., & Slymen, D. (2015). Strain in caring for youths meeting diagnosis for disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 23(1), 40-51