A Capehart Scatchard Blog

Tag: students with disabilities

District Court Denies Parents’ Claims Against School Board Involving Nursing Issue

The parents of a disabled student brought claims against the Voorhees Township Board of Education (“Board”) alleging various violations, including violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), for failing to place a nurse onsite at the school building the student would have attended for his extended school year (“ESY”) program. On June 5, 2017, the District Court for the District of New Jersey in R.G. v. Hill, found no violations and affirmed the Administrative Law Judge’s decision dismissing the parents’ claims. Neither the student’s individualized education plan (“IEP”) nor his medical needs required a nurse to be physically […]

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ALJ Finds Student Entitled to Section 504 Plan for Celiac Disease

On March 7, 2017, an Administrative Law Judge in K.I. o/b/o K.I. v. Moorestown Township Board of Education found that the Board violated Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by failing to offer a Section 504 plan to address the student’s celiac disease. The ALJ held that the Board failed to offer a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) under Section 504 when it offered an individualized healthcare plan (“IHP”) instead of a Section 504 plan to address the student’s medical condition. The student was in elementary school when she was first diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in […]

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Upcoming Seminar: “FBAs and BIPs: An Essential Legal Guide”

On Monday, June 19, 2017, Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq. will be presenting at the National Business Institute’s seminar entitled “FBAs and BIPs: An Essential Legal Guide.” Her presentation is called “The IDEA, FBAs and BIPs: Legal Requirements and Grey Areas.” The seminar will be held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. For additional information and registration, please click here.

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Upcoming Seminar at NJSBA Spring School Law Forum

On Wednesday, June 14, 2017, Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq. and Lauren E. Tedesco, Esq. will be presenting at the New Jersey School Boards Association’s Spring School Law Forum. They will be speaking about uncommon accommodations and service animals for students in school. The seminar will be held in Monroe, New Jersey. For additional information and registration, please click here.

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Upcoming Seminar at Lehigh University’s 45th Special Education Law Conference

On Friday, May 12, 2017, Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq. and Cameron R. Morgan, Esq. will be presenting at Lehigh University’s 45th Special Education Law Conference. Their presentations are entitled “Mental Health, Including Therapeutic Placements: Balancing the Law and Family Support” and “Special Education Law 101: The Do’s and Don’ts of Special Education Litigation.” The seminar will be held in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. For additional information and registration, please click here.

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What You Need to Know About Service Animals in Schools – Part 2

By on March 28, 2017 in NJ School Law, Students with 0 Comments

Editor: Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq. In Part 1 of this series, we discussed what qualifies as a service animal and what types of inquiries a school district is permitted to make. Today, we will discuss the parameters by which a school district may exclude a service animal from school, the responsibility of caring and supervising the animal, allergy and/or fear considerations, and liability insurance. Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 35.136 (b), once a school district permits the use of a service animal by a student with a disability, the service animal can only be removed from the premises under the following […]

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U.S. Supreme Court Decides Substantive Standard for FAPE to Special Education Students

By: Cameron R. Morgan, Esq. Editor: Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq. For many months now, those involved in the world of special education have been patiently awaiting the issuance of one of the most important legal decisions in special education in the past 35 years, since the seminal Rowley decision was handed down in 1982. On March 22, 2017, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, 580 U.S. ___ (2017), in which it confronted the difficult issue of the appropriate substantive standard for determining whether special education students have been provided with […]

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What You Need to Know About Service Animals in Schools – Part 1

By on March 20, 2017 in NJ School Law, Students with 0 Comments

Editor: Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq. More often than not, school administrators face questions relating to requests for service animals to accompany students in school. What is a service animal? Who is allowed to bring a service animal to school? What restrictions may a school impose on the use of a service animal? In this two part series, we will explore these and other issues surrounding the use of service animals in schools. New Jersey school districts must permit access to service animals that accompany students with disabilities. N.J.S.A. 18A:46-13.2 and 13.3 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) allow service […]

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U.S. Supreme Court Rules Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Not Required in Non-FAPE Cases

In a long awaited case involving a student requesting the use of a service dog in school, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled on February 22, 2017 in Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools that parents are not required to exhaust administrative remedies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) when the heart of their complaint does not allege a denial of a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”). This case involved a student with cerebral palsy who qualified for special education and related services under the IDEA when she attended a public school in Michigan. As a result, she […]

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Upcoming Seminar: “Guide to Special Education Law for Attorneys & Educators”

On Tuesday, March 7, 2017, Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq. will be presenting at the Camden County Bar Association’s three-part seminar entitled “Guide to Special Education Law for Attorneys & Educators.” Ms. Dev will be speaking about individualized education plans (“IEPs”) and strategies for successful IEP meetings. The seminar will be held at the Tavistock Country Club in Haddonfield, New Jersey. For additional information and registration, please click here.

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