In the unanimous June 12, 2025, Supreme Court decision in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, the Court eliminates the “bad faith or gross misjudgment” standard, lowering the bar for Section 504 and ADA claims in education. Schools must now meet the same anti-discrimination standards as other public entities, with failures to provide […]
At 10:00 on June 12, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision, in AJ.T. v. Osseo Area Schools. The decision, which was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, sided with a student with a disability suing the Osseo public schools for not doing enough to accommodate her rare form […]
According to the IDEA, “the term ‘special education’ means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings…(IDEA, 20 USC § 29). The […]
On the seventy-first anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision (May 17, 1954), it is important to recognize that while the ruling did not specifically address disability rights, it was instrumental in laying the legal and constitutional groundwork for Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children […]
Case Summary: A.J.T. v. Osseo Area SchoolsIssue at Stake:The core question in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools is whether students with disabilities must meet a uniquely high standard—proving “bad faith or gross misjudgment”—to prevail in disability discrimination claims under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with […]
President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will assume responsibility for students with disabilities has sparked widespread backlash and confusion among disability advocates, educators, and legal experts. The brief announcement, made during an unrelated event about a fighter jet, offered no specifics on […]
The PBS NewsHour recently interviewed one of the writers of SpedLawBlog about potential cuts to special education and the removal of the U.S. Department of Education. It is worth a watch.
On September 26, 2024, Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of Texas filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general from the states of Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, […]
A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools The following is a summary of the request by the parents for the Supreme Court to hear this case. The Court accepted the case with oral arguments expected in April. Summary of the Petitioners Brief The petition for a writ of certiorari to the U.S. […]
We highly recommend you read the attached link from a report written by CADRE. The 2024 Trends in Dispute Resolution report indicates a significant rise in written state complaints and mediation requests under IDEA for the 2022-23 school year, with a notable shift towards early conflict resolution strategies to reduce […]
What are we to make of the stances of the Trump administration and Project 2025 to the U.S. Department of Education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act? In an attempt to answer these questions, Dr. Federico Waitoller of the University of Illinois-Chicago interviewed Drs Mitchell Yell of the University […]
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