NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW - PowerPoint Presentation

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW EQUIP FOR EQUALITY CONSORTIUM PROGRAMMAY 31, 2017MARK C. WEBERDEPAUL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 1

Two Earth-Shattering (Maybe?) Developments Fry v. Napoleon Cmty. Schs. (exhaustion of Section 504-ADA claims)Endrew F. v. Douglas Cnty. Sch. Dist. RE-1 (IDEA appropriate education standard)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 2

Child Find, Evaluation, and Eligibility Illinois AuthorityJason O. v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114 – Ostby (adequate response to behavior problems without formal assessment)Non-Illinois AuthorityL.J. v. Pittsburg Unified Sch. Dist. (accommodations were special education, so student met eligibility standard with average performance)Doe v. Cape Elizabeth Sch. Dist. (reading fluency deficit) Timothy O. v. Paso Robles Unified Sch. Dist. (autism assessment) (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 3

Response to Intervention (RTI) Non-Illinois AuthorityGreenwich Bd. of Educ. v. G.M. (school should have evaluated child despite her progress under RTI) (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 4

Independent Evaluation (IEE) Illinois AuthorityB.G. v. City of Chicago Sch. Dist. 299 (district assessment was adequate)Jason O. v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114 – Ostby (IEE reimbursement for full cost, not net after insurance)Federal GuidanceSavit (access to classroom for parent’s evaluator)Non-Illinois Authority Seth B. v. Orleans Parish Sch. Bd. (substantial compliance with agency criteria is enough for funding claim) (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 5

IEP Process, Implementation, and Related Issues Federal GuidanceAndel (no requirement to warn of attorney presence at IEP)Non-Illinois AuthorityM.C. v. Antelope Valley Union High Sch. Dist. (unilateral amendment and inadequate specificity of IEP) A.M. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ. (failure to follow IEP team consensus)L.O. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ. (IEP must be aligned with evaluation) (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 6

Appropriate Education in General Illinois AuthorityEndrew F. v. Douglas Cnty. Sch. Dist. RE-1Federal GuidanceDear Colleague (behavioral services)Non-Illinois AuthorityA.M. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ. (continued need for ABA)L.O. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ. (behavior plan, speech, etc.) (c) Mark C. Weber 20177

Peer Harassment and Bullying Non-Illinois AuthorityDoe v. Columbia-Brazoria Indep. Sch. Dist. (insufficient allegation of actual knowledge for Section 504-ADA and Title IX claims)T.K. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ. (IDEA violation from failure even to discuss bullying in IEP meetings)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 8

Related Services and Assistive Technology Non-Illinois AuthorityL.M.H. v. Arizona Dep’t of Educ. (peer-reviewed research)School Dist. of Phila. v. Williams (iPad)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 9

Least Restrictive Environment Illinois AuthorityJason O. v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114 – Ostby (approving self-contained class)Case No. 2017-0193 (rejecting school district’s proposal of therapeutic day school)Non-Illinois AuthorityL.H. v. Hamilton Cnty. Dep’t of Educ. (student need not achieve at grade level to be mainstreamed)Brown v. District of Columbia (IEP team has to discuss LRE) (c) Mark C. Weber 201710

Parental Status Illinois AuthoritySmith v. Meeks (noncustodial parent gets notice but can’t demand due process hearing)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 11

Records Access and Privacy Illinois AuthorityAllison W. v. Oak Park & River Forest High Sch. Dist. No. 200 (June 14, 2016) (no dismissal of educational records claims under preclusion doctrine); also May 27, 2016 (denying motion to dismiss claim, not specified in opinion, brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for alleged violation of rights provided by IDEA)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 12

Dispute Mediation, Resolution, and Settlement Illinois AuthorityCampbell-Ewald v. Gomez (not moot when offer not accepted)Miksis v. Evanston Twp. High Sch. Dist. No. 202 (jurisdiction in action alleging breach of settlement agreement)Jeffries v. City of Chicago School District #299 – Foster (finding that settlement embraced Section 1983 claim) (c) Mark C. Weber 201713

Due Process Hearing Complaints & Related Illinois AuthorityNardella v. Leyden High Sch. Dist. 212 (June 22 & Aug. 11, 2016) (in appeal of due process proceeding, dismissing defendants not parties below) Non-Illinois AuthorityM.C. v. Antelope Valley Union High Sch. Dist. (hearing officer should not restate issues; issues are not waived if tried by consent)(c) Mark C. Weber 201714

Due Process Hearing Limitations Non-Illinois AuthorityG.L. v. Ligonier Valley Sch. Dist. Auth. (no limit on remedy if known-or-should-have-known date met)Avila v. Spokane Sch. Dist. 81 (adopting G.L.)Damarcus S. v. District of Columbia (adopting G.L.)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 15

Conduct of Due Process Hearing Illinois AuthorityJason O. v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114 – Ostby (no prejudicial error in restrictions on evidence, etc.)Raglin v. Board of Educ. of Bloom Twp. High Sch. Dist. (striking of claim for compensatory education)B.G. v. City of Chicago Sch. Dist. 299 (time limits on witnesses, expert qualifications okay)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 16

Maintenance of Placement Illinois AuthorityBoard of Educ. of Jacksonville Sch. Dist. v. C.P. (hearing officer decision was new status quo)Non-Illinois AuthorityN.E. v. Seattle Sch. Dist. (first stage of multi-stage IEP was not status quo)Dervishi v. Stamford Bd. of Educ. (time-limited IEP was status quo) (c) Mark C. Weber 201717

Class Actions Non-Illinois AuthoritySmith v. Los Angeles Unified Sch. Dist. (allowing intervention in class action concerning least restrictive environment)T.R. v. School Dist. of Phila. (refusing to dismiss class complaint on translation for limited English proficient families)DL v. District of Columbia (class action on IDEA Part C) (c) Mark C. Weber 201718

Mootness Doctrine Illinois AuthorityCampbell-Ewald v. Gomez (unaccepted settlement offer does not moot case)Ostby v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114 (case moot when there’s no current intention to move child to disputed placement)(c) Mark C. Weber 201719

Administrative Exhaustion Illinois AuthorityFry v. Napoleon Cmty. Schs.Miksis v. Evanston Twp. High Sch. Dist. No. 202 (not requiring exhaustion in action over alleged settlement violation)Kuhner v. Highland Cmty. Unit Sch. Dist. No. 5 (must exhaust due process and Section 504-ADA bullying claims) B.G. v. Claypool (exhaustion is affirmative defense)Non-Illinois AuthorityJ.M. v. Francis Howell Sch. Dist. (exhaustion required)Reyes v. Manor Indep. Sch. Dist. (exhaustion required)(c) Mark C. Weber 201720

Judicial Limitations Illinois AuthorityStanek v. Saint Charles Cmty. Unit Sch. Dist. No. 303 (N.D. Ill. 2017) (applying two-year statute for non-administrative appeal IDEA actions and relation-back doctrine)Board of Educ. of the Vandalia Cmty. Unit Sch. Dist. No. 203 v. K.S. (hearing decision clarification tolls limitation but does not reset accrual date)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 21

Injunctions Illinois AuthorityBoard of Educ. of Jacksonville Sch. Dist. v. C.P. (denying injunction that would stay hearing officer’s reimbursement order)(c) Mark C. Weber 2017 22

Compensatory Education Illinois AuthorityCase No. 2016-0152 (compensatory education for student who graduated without receiving adequate transition services )Non-Illinois AuthorityM.S. v. Utah Sch. for the Deaf & Blind (don’t remand to IEP team)B.D. v. District of Columbia (compensatory education must compensate)(c) Mark C. Weber 201723

Tuition Reimbursement Issues Illinois AuthorityCase No. 2016-0445 (reimbursement for non-special education placement)Non-Illinois AuthorityL.H. v. Hamilton Cnty. Dep’t of Educ. (no reimbursement for Montessori school) (c) Mark C. Weber 201724

Section 504-ADA Developments Illinois AuthorityNardella v. Leyden High Sch. Dist. 212 (May 5, 2017) (private school; no substantial modifications required)Thurmon v. Mount Carmel High Sch. (no disability causation, etc.)Martin v. East St. Louis Sch. Dist. (no deliberate indifference)Non-Illinois AuthorityB.C. v. Mount Vernon City Sch. Dist. (IDEA-Section 504 eligibility)Gohl v. Livonia Pub. Schs. Sch. Dist. (mistreatment by teacher)A.G. v. Paradise Valley Unified Sch. Dist. No. 69 (Section 504 FAPE, reasonable accommodation)Bowe v. Eau Claire Area Sch. Dist. (peer harassment)Santa Fe (NM) Pub. Schs. (web page)Ladue (MO) Pub. Sch. Dist. (CART)(c) Mark C. Weber 201725

Fees Developments Illinois AuthorityRaglin v. Board of Educ. of Bloom Twp. High Sch. Dist. (finding fees claim to be timely)Non-Illinois AuthorityM.S. v. Utah Sch. for the Deaf & Blind (don’t give fractional award based on which claims prevailed when common core of facts and related legal theories applied to multiple claims) M.W. v. School Dist. of Phila. (expert fees under Section 504-ADA)(c) Mark C. Weber 201726

Citations A.G. v. Paradise Valley Unified Sch. Dist. No. 69, 815 F.3d 1195 (9th Cir. 2016) A.M. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ., 845 F.3d 523 (2d Cir. 2017) Allison W. v. Oak Park & River Forest High Sch. Dist. No. 200, 193 F. Supp. 3d 894 (N.D. Ill. June 14, 2016) ( Shadur)Allison W. v. Oak Park & River Forest High Sch. Dist. No. 200, 188 F. Supp. 3d 796 (N.D. Ill. May 27, 2016) (Shadur) Andel, 67 IDELR 156 (OSEP Feb. 17, 2016) Avila v. Spokane Sch. Dist. 81, 852 F. 3d 936 (9th Cir. 2017) B.C. v. Mount Vernon City Sch. Dist., 837 F.3d 152 (2d Cir. 2016) B.D. v. District of Columbia, 817 F.3d 792 (D.C. Cir. 2016) B.G. v. City of Chicago Sch. Dist. 299, No. 15 C 6372, 2017 WL 1049466 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 20, 2017) (Kendall), appeal filed, No. 17-1806 (7th Cir. Apr. 18, 2017)B.G. v. Claypool, No. 15 C 6372, 2016 WL 8711589 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 12, 2016) (Kendall) Board of Educ. of Jacksonville Sch. Dist. v. C.P., No. 3:15-CV-3228, 2016 WL 164987 (C.D. Ill. Jan. 14, 2016) (Meyerscough) Board of Educ. of the Vandalia Cmty. Unit Sch. Dist. No. 203 v. K.S., No. 15-CV-1048-NJR-DGW, 2016 WL 5341238 (S.D . Ill. Sept. 23, 2016) (Rosenstengel) Bowe v. Eau Claire Area Sch. Dist., No. 16-CV-746-JDP, 2017 WL 1458822 ( W.D. Wis. Apr. 24, 2017) Brown v. District of Columbia, 179 F. Supp. 3d 15 ( D.D.C. 2016 ) Campbell-Ewald v. Gomez, 136 S. Ct. 663 ( Jan. 20, 2016 ) Case No . 2016-0152 (SEA Ill. Mar. 28, 2017) (Maxwell-Wickett ) Case No . 2017-0193 (SEA Ill. Mar. 17, 2017) (Strusz) Case No . 2016-0445 (SEA Ill. Feb. 16, 2017) (Leisner) (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 27

More Citations Damarcus S. v. District of Columbia, 190 F. Supp. 3d 35 (D.D.C. 2016) Dear Colleague, 68 IDELR 76 (OSERS & OSEP Aug. 1, 2016)Dervishi v. Stamford Bd. of Educ., 653 F. App’x 55 (2d Cir. 2016DL v. District of Columbia, 194 F. Supp. 3d 30 (D.D.C. 2016), appeal filed, No. 16-7076 (D.C. Cir. June 27, 2016)Doe v. Cape Elizabeth Sch. Dist., 832 F.3d 69 (1st Cir. 2016) Doe v. Columbia-Brazoria Indep. Sch. Dist., No. 16-40882, 2017 WL 1661416 (5th Cir. May 3, 2017) Endrew F. v. Douglas Cnty. Sch. Dist. RE-1, 137 S. Ct. 988 (Mar. 22, 2017) Fry v. Napoleon Cmty. Schs., 137 S. Ct. 743 (Feb. 22, 2017) G.L. v. Ligonier Valley Sch. Dist. Auth., 802 F.3d 601 (3d Cir. 2015) Gohl v. Livonia Pub. Schs. Sch. Dist., 836 F.3d 672 (6th Cir. 2016 ), petition for cert. filed , No. 16-1001 (U.S. Feb. 13, 2017) Greenwich Bd. of Educ. v. G.M., No. 3:13-CV-00235, 2016 WL 3512120 (D. Conn. June 22, 2016) J.M. v. Francis Howell Sch. Dist., 850 F.3d 944 (8th Cir. 2017 ) Jason O. v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114, 173 F. Supp. 3d 744 (N.D. Ill. 2016 ) (Blakey), vacated as moot sub nom. Ostby v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114, 851 F.3d 677 (7th Cir. 2017) (Rovner) Jeffries v. City of Chicago School District #299, No. 13 C 3427, 2016 WL 909354 ( N.D. Ill. Mar. 10, 2016) (Kennelly), aff’d sub nom. Foster v. Board of Educ., No. 16-1885, 2017 WL 1166870 ( 7th Cir. Mar. 29, 2017 ) Kuhner v. Highland Cmty. Unit Sch. Dist. No. 5, No. 15-cv-00107-JPG-DGW, 2016 WL 3254487 ( S.D. Ill. June 14, 2016) L.H. v. Hamilton Cnty. Dep’t of Educ., No. 1:14-CV-00126, 2016 WL 6581235 (E.D. Tenn. Nov. 4, 2016) L.J. v. Pittsburg Unified Sch. Dist., 850 F.3d 996 (9th Cir. 2017 ) L.M.H. v. Arizona Dep’t of Educ., No. CV-14-02212-PHX-JJT, 2016 WL 3910940 (D. Ariz. July 19, 2016), appeal filed , No. 16-16467 (9th Cir. Aug. 19, 2016) (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 28

Still More Citations L.O. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ., 822 F.3d 95 (2d Cir. 2016) Ladue (MO) Pub. Sch. Dist., 68 IDELR 255 (OCR May 2, 2016) M.C. v. Antelope Valley Union High Sch. Dist., 852 F.3d 840 (9th Cir. 2017) M.S. v. Utah Sch. for the Deaf & Blind, 822 F.3d 1128 (10th Cir. 2016) M.W. v. School Dist. of Phila., No. CV 15-5586, 2016 WL 3959073 (E.D. Pa. July 22, 2016) Martin v. East St. Louis Sch. Dist. No. 189, No. 14-CV-1393-MJR-SCW, 2016 WL 1718332 (S.D. Ill. Apr. 29, 2016) (Reagan) Miksis v. Evanston Twp. High Sch. Dist. No. 202, No. 12 C 8497, 2017 WL 386652 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 2, 2017) (Durkin) N.E. v. Seattle Sch. Dist., 842 F.3d 1093 (9th Cir. 2016), petition for cert. filed, No. 16-1285 (U.S. Apr. 27, 2017)Nardella v. Leyden High Sch. Dist. 212, No. 15-CV-4885, 2017 WL 1806589 (N.D. Ill. May 5, 2017) (Coleman)Nardella v. Leyden High Sch. Dist. 212, No. 15-CV-4885, 2016 WL 4245528 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 11, 2016) (Coleman) Nardella v. Leyden High Sch. Dist. 212, No. 15-CV-4885, 2016 WL 3418571 (N.D. Ill. June 22, 2016) (Coleman) Ostby v. Manhattan Sch. Dist. No. 114, 851 F.3d 677 (7th Cir. 2017 ) (Rovner) Raglin v. Board of Educ. of Bloom Twp. High Sch. Dist., No. 15 C 4476, 2016 WL 772848 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 29, 2016) (Alonso) Reyes v. Manor Indep. Sch. Dist., 850 F.3d 251 (5th Cir. 2017 ) Santa Fe (NM) Pub. Schs., 69 IDELR 44 (OCR June 29, 2016) Savit, 64 IDELR 250 (OSEP Feb. 10, 2014) School Dist. of Phila. v. Williams, No. CV 14-6238, 2016 WL 877841 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 7, 2016) Seth B. v. Orleans Parish Sch. Bd., 810 F.3d 961 (5th Cir. 2016 ) Smith v. Los Angeles Unified Sch. Dist., 830 F.3d 843 (9th Cir. 2016 ) Smith v. Meeks, No. 15 C 10250, 2016 WL 7049057 ( N.D. Ill. Dec. 5, 2016) (Alonso) (c) Mark C. Weber 2017 29

Yet More Citations Stanek v. Saint Charles Cmty. Unit Sch. Dist. No. 303, No. 13-CV-3106, 2017 WL 782993 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 28, 2017) (Darrah) T.K. v. New York City Dep’t of Educ., 810 F.3d 869 (2d Cir. 2016) T.R. v. School Dist. of Phila., No. CV 15-4782, 2016 WL 6994973 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 30, 2016) Thurmon v. Mount Carmel High Sch., 191 F. Supp. 3d 894 (N.D. Ill. 2016) (Zagel)Timothy O. v. Paso Robles Unified Sch. Dist., 822 F.3d 1105 (9th Cir. 2016), cert. denied, No. 16-672, 2017 WL 1366731 (U.S. Apr. 17, 2017) Weber, Mark C., Special Education Law and Litigation Treatise (LRP Pubs. 4th ed. 2017)(c) Mark C. Weber 201730