In a case heard in U.S. District Court for New Jersey, the court upheld a New Jersey Administrative Law Judge’s decision to grant tuition reimbursement to a student unilaterally placed in a non-special education parochial school. MZ was a three-year-old preschooler when he was evaluated and diagnosed with moderate expressive language deficits. MZ’s parents contacted their local school district to determine whether he might be…
B.A.W., a 19-year-old student with learning disabilties, and his mother, R.Y.W., met with the East Orange School District CST to develop an Individualized Education Plan ("IEP") for B.A.W. for the remainder of the school year. During that meeting, Plaintiff's mother requested that B.A.W. be provided with services beyond the current school year. This request was discussed and ultimately rejected by the district at the meeting…
K.N. was enrolled in Sinai High School, a nonpublic Jewish day school for children with special needs in Teaneck, New Jersey. Bergen County Special Services ("BCCS") determined that K.N. was eligible for special education and related services under the disability category of "Specific Learning Disability." B.N. applied to the Bergen County Technical Schools ("BCTS") shared-time vocational program in which students can receive vocational services part-time…
An OCR complaint against Long Beach Public School Schools, in New York, resulted in the identification of substantial disparities in the District's classification and placement rates of racial and language minority students in special education. A Corrective Action Plan was negotiated designed to eliminate the District’s discriminatory referral, evaluation and placement procedures.
School-aged children with disabilities who attended, or had in the past attended, schools in the Ravenswood City School District, alleged that Ravenswood failed not only to meet their individual educational needs, but also failed to provide similarly-situated children within its jurisdiction a free appropriate public education, as mandated by IDEA, Section 504, the ADA, and a variety of California State laws. An action was filed…
The process for providing special education services begins with something called "referral." Either the school district or the parent/guardian may initiate this process. It begins with a written request for an evaluation to be made to the school district, usually to the Director of Special Education Services. This request can be made at any time for any student. The school's Child Study Team (CST) must…
Evaluation of your child is an important early step in securing the appropriate special education services for your child with disabilities. The entire process begins with something called "referral." Parents or the school district may initiate this process. For the parent to initiate the referral, a written request for an evaluation is made to the school district, usually to the Director of Special Education Services.…
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and New Jersey Administrative Code N.J.A.C. 6A:14 govern the provision of preschool special education services in New Jersey. Eligibility for Pre-School Special Education If you suspect that your child is experiencing delays in his or her physical, cognitive, communication, social/emotional and adaptive development before school age, or if your child has received Early Intervention Services, he or she…
Extended School Year (ESY) services refers to IEP-based special education interventions that are provided beyond the regular 180-day school year. The need for these services must be individually determined. ESY services should be included in your child's IEP if his or her skills and abilities substantially decline during or following an interruption in educational programming. This is commonly termed "Regression." ESY services should also be…
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) seeks to ensure that all students with disabilities are prepared for adult life: post secondary education, employment, community participation and independent living. Transition planning - which includes the student, the IEP team, the parent, and in some cases, community organizations - is a formal process of long-range cooperative planning designed to assist students with disabilities as they move…