Appellate Section - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Briefs and Opinions
- D.M. v. Oregon School Activities Association (9th Cir.) – Amicus
- The district court committed multiple legal errors in assessing whether the waiver D.M. requested was a “reasonable” modification and not a “fundamental alteration"
- The district court applied the wrong standard in assessing whether D.M.’s disabilities caused his need for a modification
Document Date Brief as Amicus 08/22/24
- Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools (S. Ct.) – Amicus
- Section 1415(l )’s exhaustion requirement does not apply because petitioner’s ADA action seeks relief that is not available under the IDEA
- Petitioner satisfied Section 1415(l )’s exhaustion requirement because further exhaustion would be futile or unnecessary
- The question that Fry left unresolved is logically antecedent to — and would significantly inform the Court’s understanding of — the first question presented about the scope of Section 1415(l)’s exhaustion requirement
- The Court should therefore grant review on the second question presented if it grants review on the first
Document Date Supreme Court Decision, reported at 143 S. Ct. 859 03/21/23 Brief as Amicus 11/16/22 Certiorari Granted, reported at 143 S. Ct. 81 10/03/22 Brief as Amicus 08/24/22
- E.T. v. Paxton (5th Cir.) – Amicus
- Plaintiffs have standing
- Plaintiffs were not required to exhaust the IDEA’s administrative procedures
- GA-38 is preempted to the extent it obstructs school districts’ ability to impose masking requirements when needed to comply with their obligations under federal law
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 41 F.4th 709 07/25/22 Brief as Amicus 01/13/22
- Independent School District No. 283 v. E.M.D.H. (S. Ct.) – Amicus
- The court of appeals correctly rejected petitioner’s contention that the IDEA’s statute of limitations barred respondent from asserting a claim based on petitioner’s breach of its child-find obligations
- The court’s determination that respondent is entitled to recover for the child-find breaches that fell within the IDEA’s limitations period is correct and does not conflict with any decision of this Court or another court of appeals
- No further review is warranted
Document Date Certiorari Denied, reported at 142 S. Ct. 67 10/04/21 Brief as Amicus 08/23/21
- Richardson v. Omaha School District (S. Ct.) – Amicus
- The Eighth Circuit correctly concluded that the most analogous Arkansas limitations period is the one the State established for judicial review of IDEA administrative decisions
- No further review is warranted
Document Date Certiorari Denied, reported at 141 S. Ct. 2851 06/28/21 Brief as Amicus in Response to Court's Invitation 05/25/21
- Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1 (S. Ct.) – Amicus
- The IDEA requires States to ensure that eligible children with disabilities have the opportunity to make significant educational progress
- There is an entrenched and acknowledged circuit conflict on the question presented
- The Tenth Circuit’s “merely * * * more than de minimis” standard is erroneous
- The question presented is important and recurring, and the Court should resolve it in this case
Document Date Supreme Court Decision, reported at 137 S. Ct. 988 03/22/17 Brief as Amicus (Merits) 11/21/16 Brief as Amicus in Response to Court's Invitation 08/18/16
- Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools (S. Ct.) – Amicus
- The IDEA does not require administrative exhaustion of non-IDEA claims seeking only relief that is unavailable under the IDEA
- The court of appeals’ decision was incorrect
- The courts of appeals are split as to the proper interpretation of Section 1415(l)’s exhaustion requirement
- The question presented is important and recurring, and the Court should resolve it in this case
Document Date Supreme Court Decision, reported at 137 S. Ct. 743 02/22/17 Brief as Amicus (Merits) 08/29/16 Brief as Amicus in Response to Court's Invitation 05/20/16
- Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. v. Flint Community Schools (6th Cir.) – Amicus
- The records-access provisions of the P&A Acts apply to non-residential schools
- MPAS was not required to exhaust administrative remedies under the IDEA
Document Date Dismissed 02/03/17 Brief as Amicus 04/14/16
- Ridley School District v. M.R. (S. Ct.) – Amicus
- The decision of the court of appeals is correct
- Petitioner asserts that review is warranted because the court of appeals' decision is in "direct conflict" with the D.C. Circuit's 1989 decision in Andersen and presents a "recurring question" of "exceptional importance"
- Neither consideration provides a compelling basis for the Court's intervention
Document Date Certiorari Denied, reported at 135 S. Ct. 2309 05/18/15 Brief as Amicus in Response to Court's Invitation 04/10/15
- T.K. v. New York City Department of Education (2d Cir.) – Amicus
- The school district's refusal to discuss bullying and its effects on L.K. violated the IDEA
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 810 F.3d 869 01/20/16 Brief as Amicus 03/06/15
- Ruby J. v. Jefferson County Board of Education (N.D. Ala.) – Intervenor
- The Eleventh Amendment is not a bar to the plaintiffs' IDEA claims because the county board of education is not an arm of the State, and Alabama waived its sovereign immunity when it accepted federal IDEA funds
- Congress validly abrogated state sovereign immunity in Section 1403 of the IDEA as part of its enforcement authority under Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment
Document Date District Court Decision, reported at 122 F.Supp.3d 1288 08/17/15 Brief as Intervenor 02/25/15
- C.L. v. Scarsdale Union Free School District (2d Cir.) – Amicus
- When the least restrictive environment requirement is considered as a factor in assessing the appropriateness of a parental placement, state officials and courts should look at the restrictiveness of the private school options the parents had once the public school failed to comply with the IDEA, not the restrictiveness of the private school compared to a regular education classroom at a public school
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 744 F.3d 826 03/11/14 Brief as Amicus 01/09/13
- E.M. v. Pajaro Valley Unified School District (9th Cir.) – Amicus
- The district court erred in holding that a child's symptoms or diagnosis may only be considered under one category of disability, and since E.M.'s auditory processing disorder (APD) fell within the learning disability category, he could not be considered under "other health impairment"
- The court of appeals should defer to the Department of Education's interpretation of the IDEA, its regulations, and its policy guidance
- A child's impairment could fall within more than one category of covered disability as long as the criteria for that category of disability are met
- A diagnosis of APD could meet the criteria of "other health impairment"
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 758 F.3d 1162 07/15/14 Brief as Amicus 08/02/12
- Phillip and Angie C. v. Jefferson County Board of Education (11th Cir.) – Amicus
- 34 C.F.R. 300.502 (1999) is a lawful exercise of regulatory authority and consistent with the requirements of the Spending Clause
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 701 F.3d 691 11/21/12 Brief as Amicus 02/21/12
- K.M. v. Tustin Unified School District (9th Cir.) – Amicus
- The IDEA and the ADA have different statutory elements and purposes
- The district court erred when it concluded that the school district's compliance with the IDEA automatically satisfied Title II of the ADA
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 725 F.3d 1088 08/06/13 Brief as Amicus 01/24/12
- Jefferson County School District R-1 v. Elizabeth E. (10th Cir.) – Amicus
- The school district bears the burden of proof when the administrative decision, as here, was in parents' favor
- This Court should adopt a test that requires school districts to pay some portion of the costs of residential placement when the child's educational and other disability-related needs are effectively intertwined
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 702 F.3d 1227 12/28/12 Brief as Amicus 11/23/11
- Compton Unified School District v. Addison (S. Ct.) – Amicus
- The decision below is correct; it does not conflict with the decision of any other court of appeals or of the Supreme Court
- This case does not present an appropriate vehicle for the Court to consider the question: whether an allegation that a school district has violated the "child find" provision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)(A), may be considered in a due process hearing under the IDEA
Document Date Certiorari Denied, reported at 132 S. Ct. 996 01/09/12 Brief as Amicus in Response to Court's Invitation 11/18/11
- American Nurses Association, et al. v. O'Connell (Cal. S. Ct.) – Amicus
- As applied to the state court settlement of a federal case brought by Intervenor American Diabetes Association, state law is preempted because it imposes an obstacle to compliance with the IDEA, Title II, or Section 504
Document Date State Court Decision, 304 P.3d 1038 08/12/13 Brief as Amicus 05/11/11
- Klein Independent School District v. Hovem (5th Cir.) - Amicus
- The continuous failure of the school district to provide an IEP that addressed Hovem's unique learning disability violated his right to a free appropriate public education
- Hovem, who is over 18, may recover the costs his parents spent for his private school education
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 690 F.3d 390 08/06/12 Brief as Amicus 04/22/11
- Payne v. Peninsula School District (9th Cir.) – Amicus
- Where a plaintiff alleges unconstitutional abuse and seeks only backward-looking remedies, the IDEA's exhaustion requirements do not apply
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 653 F.3d 863 07/29/11 Brief as Amicus 11/04/10
- Forest Grove School District v. T.A. (S. Ct.) -- Amicus
- Under the traditional canons of statutory interpretation, the Department of Education’s interpretation is the correct one; in any event, the Department’s interpretation is entitled to Chevron deference
Document Date Supreme Court Decision, reported at 129 S. Ct. 2484 06/22/09 Brief as Amicus 04/01/09
- John M. v. Board of Education (7th Cir.) -- Amicus
- The supports and services set out in John’s last agreed-upon IEP constitutes his stay-put placement
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 502 F.3d 708 09/17/07 Brief as Amicus 05/22/07
- Fitzgerald v. Camdenton R-III School District (8th Cir.) -- Amicus
- The IDEA does not compel state-sponsored evaluation if parents have waived a right to a free appropriate public education
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 439 F.3d 773 03/01/06 Brief as Amicus Supporting Appellants and Urging Reversal 10/03/05
- Crowley v. TEA (5th Cir.) -- Intervenor
- This court should delay consideration of this case pending this court's en banc decision in Pace v. Bogalusa
- A State that voluntarily seeks entry of a consent decree in federal court waives its immunity from actions to enforce that decree the TEA waived its Eleventh Amendment immunity to claims under the IDEA by accepting IDEA funding
Document Date Dismissed 07/12/05 Brief as Intervenor 11/12/04
- Pardini v. Allegheny Intermediate Unit (3d Cir.) -- Amicus
- The stay-put provision of Part B of the IDEA does not require continuation of the services provided to a child pursuant to Part C of the IDEA during the pendency of proceedings regarding the services to be provided under Part B
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 420 F.3d 181 08/29/05 Brief as Amicus Curiae 04/06/04
- S.C. v. Deptford Board of Education (3d Cir.) -- Intervenor
- Congress validly conditioned IDEA funds on a waiver of Eleventh Amendment immunity for private claims under the IDEA
Document Date Dismissed 10/20/04 Brief as Intervenor 08/28/03
- Lillbask v. Connecticut Department of Education (2d Cir.) -- Amicus
- Connecticut's statutory issue-preclusion rule conflicts with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and is therefore invalid
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 397 F.3d 77 02/02/05 Brief as Amicus 06/10/03
- M.A. & United States v. State-Operated School District of the City of Newark and New Jersey Department of Education, etc. (3d Cir.) -- Intervenor/Appellee
- Whether Congress validly conditioned the receipt of federal grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act on a State’s waiver of Eleventh Amendment immunity to suits under that Act.
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 344 F.3d 335 09/16/03 Brief as Intervenor-Appellee 07/03/02
- Pace v. Bogalusa City Sch. Bd. (5th Cir.) -- Amicus
- Failure to establish a violation of the IDEA does not necessarily preclude a plaintiff's related claims under the ADA and Section 504
- Whether a state agency’s application for and acceptance of federal financial assistance constituted an effective waiver of its sovereign immunity to suits under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
- Whether a state agency’s application for and acceptance of funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) constituted an effective waiver of its sovereign immunity to suits under that statute.
- Conditioning federal funds on a knowing and voluntary waiver of a State's Eleventh Amendment immunity is a valid exercise of Congress's Spending Clause authority
- As applied to discrimination in education, Title II is congruent and proportional to the constitutional rights at issue and the history of discrimination
Document Date En Banc Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 403 F.3d 272 03/08/05 Second Supplemental En Banc Brief as Intervenor 07/01/04 Supplemental En Banc Brief as Intervenor 08/12/03 Petition for Rehearing En Banc Granted, reported at 339 F.3d 348 07/17/03 Petition for Rehearing En Banc 05/07/03 Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 325 F.3d 609 03/24/03 Supplemental Brief as Intervenor 10/25/02 Brief as Amicus 01/09/02
- Porter v. Bd. of Trustees (9th Cir.) -- Amicus
- In this case, parents were excused from exhausting administrative due process procedures before filing suit in federal court
- Parents are not required to exhaust state complaint resolution procedures before filing suit in federal court
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 307 F.3d 1064 10/08/02 Brief as Amicus 10/01/01
- Barnett v. Memphis City Schools (6th Cir.) -- Amicus
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, available at 50 F. App'x 219 10/30/02 Brief as Amicus 05/03/01
- Asbury v. Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (8th Cir.) -- Intervenor
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is valid exercise of the Spending Clause
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is valid exercise of the Spending Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment
- No Eleventh Amendment immunity to IDEA and Section 504 actions
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, available at 9 F. App’x 558 04/18/01 Brief as Intervenor 11/07/00
- Schaffer v. Vance (4th Cir.) -- Amicus
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, available at 2 F. App'x 232 01/10/01 Brief as Amicus 08/07/00
- Murphy v. Arlington Central School District Board of Education (2d Cir.) -- Amicus
- Parents do not need to exhaust their administrative remedies before seeking to enforce the IDEA's stay-put provision
- After a State Review Officer finds that the parents' unilateral private placement was appropriate, the school district must begin paying for the placement, even while an appeal is pending
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, available at 2003 WL 21694398 07/16/02 Brief as Amicus 07/26/00
- M.E. v. Board of Education for Buncombe County (4th Cir.) -- Amicus
- Statute of limitations under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act does not begin to run until parents receive written notice of the school's decision
- 60-day statute of limitations period borrowed from state law too short to be consistent with purposes of the Act
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision (amended) , reported at 241 F.3d 374 03/16/01 Supplemental Brief 08/14/00 Brief as Amicus 04/03/00
- Birmingham v. Omaha School District (8th Cir.) -- Amicus
- 30-day statute of limitations period borrowed from state law too short to be consistent with purposes of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- Three-year statute of limitations period is appropriate
- School's decision to provide "early graduation" to student not sufficient to end her entitlement to IDEA services and procedural protections
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 220 F.3d 850 08/07/00 Brief as Amicus 02/04/00
- In re Arons (Supreme Court of Delaware) -- Amicus
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act permits persons with special knowledge or training to advocate at due process hearings
- State rules regarding unauthorized practice of law are preempted to the extent they interfere with the ability of parents to retain such persons
Document Date Certiorari Denied, reported at 532 U.S. 1065 06/04/01 Brief Opposing Petition for Writ of Certiorari 05/10/01 Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 756 A.2d 867 07/06/00 Brief as Amicus 12/01/99
- Bradley v. Arkansas Department of Education (8th Cir.) -- intervenor
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is valid exercise of the Spending Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment
- No Eleventh Amendment immunity to IDEA actions
Document Date Court of Appeals Decision, reported at 189 F.3d 745 08/31/99 Brief as Intervenor 04/16/98
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