US Supreme Court Ruling on Special Education (Forest Grove School District v. T.A.)

The Supreme Court has sided with the parents of "T.A." in the case of Forest Grove School District v T.A. (read the previous post for the details of the case).

The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that "IDEA authorizes reimbursement for private special-education services when a public school fails to provide a FAPE and the private school placement is appropriate, regardless of whether the child previously received special-education services through the public school."

National Coverage:

• Education Week: "Supreme Court Backs Reimbursement for Private Tuition"
• Boston Globe (Op-ed): "The Tragedy and Triumph of T.A."
• US News and World Report: "Court Ruling Helps Special Needs Students"

Local Coverage:

• Dallas Morning News: "School Districts Digest Ruling on Special Ed Refund"
• Dallas Morning News "The Education Front" Blog: "Special Ed Students: The Supreme Court's Game-Changer"
• Dallas Special Needs Kids Examiner: Dallas-area Schools Examine Court Ruling on Special Ed Refunds
  

Supreme Court Weighs Funding For Special Education This Week

This week the Supreme Court heard arguments on an issue being debated between public schools and parents of children with disabilities all across the country: When should public school officials pay for private schooling for children with special needs?

The case involves parents seeking reimbursement for their child's private education after a psychologist had diagnosed the child, "T.A.," with ADHD and other disorders and recommended they remove him from public school and place him in a private residential school. When T.A. was evaluated at school they agreed with the psychologist’s diagnoses but concluded that he was not eligible for special education under the IDEA because those diagnoses "did not have a severe effect on his educational performance."

Read more about the case in this New York Times article.

See also a recent post about pending Texas legislation that would provide private school vouchers for Texas children with autism and other disabilities.