A New Jersey Administrative Law Judge has ruled that a school district is not required to provide extracurricular activities and transportation in order for a student to develop social skills.
The case involves a 12-year-old boy with Down syndrome who was placed in a state-approved private school. According to court records, the boy’ s adaptive behavior, communication skills, and daily living skills place him in the first percentile.
The boy’s parents argued that in order to develop social skills, their son needed to participate in extracurricular activities after school and that the school district should provide transportation to the program and to his home.
The judge found that, while the IEP encouraged the student to participate in extracurricular activities of his parent’s choosing, they were not part of the IEP, nor did the IEP provide for transportation to extracurricular activities. The judge found the IEP to be comprehensive, and further found him to be making adequate progress toward his goals and objectives. The judge ruled that extracurricular activities are not necessary in order for him to make meaningful educational progress, because social skills development is integrated into the curriculum of each class throughout the day.
