This site will periodically highlight major new legal developments, with a focus on student issues under the IDEA and Sec. 504/ADA. To receive these updates via email or WordPress reader, please subscribe. The format for each page of the update, from to bottom, is: a quick summary of the case across the top (yellow row), rulings… Continue reading MONTHLY LEGAL UPDATES
Monthly Legal Updates
January 2021 Legal Update
This month’s update identifies recent court decisions of general significance, specifically addressing (a) FAPE via another case in the direct line after Endrew F., and (b) employee rights emanating from the special education context, here via the case of a terminated teacher during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Download the update and read more.
December 2020 Legal Update
This month’s update identifies recent court decisions of general significance, specifically addressing issues of (a) settlements for special education students, and (b) system-wide claims arising under COVID-19. Download the update and read more.
COVID-19 Guidance and Case Law: Late Fall Update
November 19, 2020 The pandemic continues, and the ultimate two-part question for parents and school districts still remains open-ended: (a) has the district denied FAPE to the eligible child and, if so, (b) what is the resulting relief, including any compensatory education? In the meantime, the issue for IDEA adjudications keeps reappearing in a potentially… Continue reading COVID-19 Guidance and Case Law: Late Fall Update
November 2020 Legal Update
This month’s update identifies recent court decisions of general significance, specifically addressing issues of (a) IDEA standards for evaluations (including reevaluations) and (b) FAPE claims arising under COVID-19. Download the update and read more.
COVID-19 Legal Activity: Briefing Paper
Here, hot off the press, is a briefing paper that provides a snapshot of the COVID-19 legal activity. It is limited to the two state administrative avenues under the IDEA (due process hearings and written state complaints) as of the end of the first six months of the pandemic. It is the promised follow-up report… Continue reading COVID-19 Legal Activity: Briefing Paper
October 2020 Legal Update
This month’s update identifies recent court decisions of general significance, specifically addressing the questions of (a) whether a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) qualifies as an evaluation under the IDEA, and (b) to what extent a school nurse’s advocacy on behalf of students with disabilities provides legal protection from adverse employment action. Download the update and… Continue reading October 2020 Legal Update
COVID-19 Legal Activity: Addendum to Early Fall Update
As an addendum to Supplement 5 (COVID-19 Guidance and Case Law: Early Fall Update), here is a snapshot overview of the due process hearing and state complaint activity for COVID-19 issues as of August 31. It is based on a survey of state education agencies. Click here to download the addendum [PDF].
COVID-19 Guidance and Case Law: Early Fall Update
September 17, 2020 Remaining as unsettled as the pandemic, the primary two-part question arising under the IDEA and Section 504 as a result of COVID-19 continues to be: (a) has the district denied FAPE to the eligible child and, if so, (b) what is the resulting relief, typically but not exclusively in the form of… Continue reading COVID-19 Guidance and Case Law: Early Fall Update
September 2020 Legal Update
This month’s update identifies recent court decisions that illustrate the significance, in some cases, of the parties’ course of conduct as perceived by the court. This judicial balancing of reasonableness and good faith, referred to as the “equities,” is not limited to the remedies, such as tuition reimbursement. It also extends with less frequent prominence… Continue reading September 2020 Legal Update
COVID-19 Guidance and Case Law: The Next Update
August 12, 2020 The primary two-part question arising under the IDEA and Section 504 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is (a) has the district denied FAPE to the eligible child and, if so, (b) what is the resulting relief, typically but not exclusively in the form of compensatory education? Further Federal Guidance Since… Continue reading COVID-19 Guidance and Case Law: The Next Update
