by Common Ground | May 22, 2018 | Courts
An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) has ordered a Morris County school district to provide compensatory education to a student with disabilities. The case involves a student with behavioral disabilities, including self-injury, who had been placed in a public school...
by Common Ground | Apr 17, 2018 | Courts
An administrative law judge (ALJ) has ordered that a student with disabilities return to his local public high school, and that his suspension through the end of the school year 2017-2018, including the prohibition from being on school premises, participation in...
by Common Ground | Mar 30, 2018 | Courts
Parents and school districts are waiting an average of 10 months to obtain a legal decision in non-emergency special education matters, this is in spite of state and federal laws requiring such decisions be made within 45 days. The findings are part of a report issued...
by Common Ground | Jul 26, 2017 | Courts
Earlier this year, the Justice Department reached a settlement with a south Jersey school district under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agreement resolves allegations that the district violated the ADA by refusing to allow a student with...
by Common Ground | Feb 26, 2017 | Courts
On January 11, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether public schools owe children with disabilities “some” educational benefit — which courts have determined to mean just-above-trivial progress — or whether students legally deserve something more: a...
by Common Ground | Feb 26, 2017 | Courts
In February, The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a unanimous decision in favor of a student with disabilities, and clarified the inter-relationship between the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)...
by Common Ground | Oct 25, 2016 | Courts
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case that will set the national standard for the education of students with disabilities. At issue is the level of benefit that school districts are required to provide. The court will consider the question of whether...
by Common Ground | Jul 29, 2016 | Courts
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a special education case involving a 12-year-old Michigan girl with cerebral palsy who sought to bring her service dog – which was prescribed by a physician as a full time support – to school. The dog is certified...
by Common Ground | Apr 15, 2016 | Courts
A new report finds that court decisions related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are more likely to be litigated in some states than others. An analysis published in the Journal of Special Education Leadership reported that 10 states account...
by Common Ground | Apr 15, 2016 | Courts
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has ruled that a teacher’s behavior management efforts did not violate her students’ constitutional rights. The case involves an Ohio special education teacher whose educational and disciplinary methods for her...
by Common Ground | Apr 15, 2016 | Courts
A group of middle and high school students have filed a first-of-its-kind federal lawsuit saying violence at home and in their neighborhoods has impaired their ability to learn at school. The case involves a group of California students and three teachers who allege...
by Common Ground | Oct 6, 2015 | Courts
A New Jersey Administrative Law Judge has order a Passaic County school district to reimburse parents for out-of-district tuition they paid because the district failed to provide FAPE. The case involves a teen with Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD who was classified as...