Despite great strides toward equity and inclusion of all students, the disproportionate representation of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds has been an issue of concern within the field of special education for decades. Of particular concern is the disproportionate representation of students from CLD backgrounds among students served within the category of emotional disturbance and students faced with exclusionary disciplinary decisions. This paper presents an overview of literature related to school- and teacher-based factors that contribute to these issues of disproportionality. It concludes with the recommendation for an integrated framework of culturally responsive practice and social emotional learning as an approach to target these factors.