Education Law

New Jersey Plaintiffs Win Major LRE Court Battle

By Charles Fox

The Federal District Court in New Jersey this week ruled that a major suit can go forward against the New Jersey Department of Education. The suit is premised on allegations that New Jersey has systemically excluded special needs student from being educated in inclusive settings. As reported:

"The complaint charges that the defendants violated both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by systemically placing students with disabilities in segregated, disabled-only classrooms. For years, New Jersey has had the worst record in the nation in complying with the IDEA and Section 504 mandates to educate students with disabilities in the "least restrictive environment," alongside their non-disabled peers."

Score one for the good guys! We need a whole lot more like this case to make a real dent but it is a nice start in big state.

Full post as published by Special Education Law Blog on July 11, 2008 (boomark / email).