Special Education Law: A Guide for Parents, Advocates, and Educators

238 Pages·1982·8.46 MB·English

by  Steven S. Goldberg (auth.)

SPECIAL
EDUCATION LAW
A Guide for Parents,
Advocates, and Educators
SPECIAL
EDUCATION LAW
A Guide for Parents,
Advocates, and Educators
STEVEN S. GOLDBERG
PLENUM PRESS • NEW YORK AND LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Goldberg, Steven S. (Steven Selig), 1950-
Special education law.
(Critical topics in law and society)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Handicapped children - Education - Law and legislation - United States.
I. Title. II. Series.
KF421O.G64 1982 344.73/0791 82-13190
347.304791
ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-9247-1 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-9245-7
DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4615-9245-7
©1982 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1982
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
To
HARRY, RUTH, AND REBECKAH
PREFACE
To any professional concerned with exceptional children, it would be the greatest
understatement to say that the courts and legislatures have had a tremendous
impact on the field of speeial education. Especially in the last decade, a flood of
litigation filed to develop and define the right to education of previously unserved
handicapped children has left no special education teacher, school adminis
trator, nurse, educational psychologist, or pediatrician unaffected-either be
cause these professionals are daily called upon to help children, or because they
may come forward as witnesses on behalf of children who are the subjects of
special education meetings, individualized education programs, placement hear
ings, or judicial proceedings. Thus, for these people, questions regarding a
student's legal rights are immediate and pervasive.
This book developed out of the need to provide nonlegal professionals with a
lawyer's view of the huge body of court cases and federal laws and regulations that
affect their practice as well as their students and clients. An introductory chapter
provides the historical basis of the current interface between law and special
education. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and Sec
tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and their regulations promulgated in
1977, are the major national laws in the field ~nd are therefore described in
Chapters 2 and 3. To suggest how they operate, there is extensive commentary
on each of these laws, and the important passages of those cases that lawyers in
the field acknowledge as critical are provided to supplement the text. Profession
als want to know how the law works in practice as well as how it affects them, and
this need has been addressed at great length.
Chapter 4 focuses on the legal requirement that is perhaps most foreign to
nonlegal profcssionals and that inHl\n:s many of them with !<l\\\US for the first
time-the special education "placement" or "due process" hearing. These hear
ings are held to determine an appropriate program of special education and
related services for each child whose needs are in dispute. For professionals and
parents who must testify or who choose to present their cases without a lawyer
PREFACE
(and for attorneys unfamiliar with these proceedings), this chapter suggests what
to expect at the hearing. Legal advice, of course, must be sought from attorneys
familiar with the facts of any individual case with which a reader may become
personally involved.
The final chapter sets forth a legal view of the major issues that are develop
ing in special education-year-round special education; legal concerns that arise
when school officials and teachers seek to discipline mentally handicapped stu
dents, legal problems of children with special needs whose primary language is
other than English; "educational malpractice" cases; and the emerging rights of
mentally gifted students.
The Appendixes present for immediate reference P.L. 94-142, Section 504,
and their regulations in full; as well as a list oflegal organiz1tions with <lddresses.
"Special education law" has become a distinct area of civil rights law. I have
attempted to outline its major points and to describe some of its applications. My
clients at the Education Law Center have provided me with much indispensable
information. I also wish to thank my colleagues there, without whose influence
this book would not have been attempted. The dozens of meetings with parents
and professional groups I have had over the years have been critical to any
understanding I may have of their needs. Especially outstanding in their advo
cacy and inspirational in their devotion to children's rights are members of the
Pennsylvania and Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Associations for Children
with Learning Disabilities, including Anne Boyle and Mary Rita Hanley, as well
as Audrey Coccia, parent and advocate. Finally, I acknowledge the technical and
editorial assistance of Bruce Dennis Sales, professor and director of the Law
Psychology Program, University of Nebraska, and Betsy McPherrin who encour
aged me to write this book.
STEVEN SELIG GOLDBERG
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 I:\TTRODUCTION .................................. .
1. 1. The Background ........................................ .
1. 2. The Right to Education for Retarded Children: Pennsylvania
Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 5
1. 3. Districtwide Relieffor All Handicapped Students: Mills v. Board
of Education, District of Columbia .......................... 8
1. 4. Programs for Newly Identified Children: Frederick L. v. Thomas.. 12
1. 5. Notes .................................................. 17
Chapter 2 A NATIONAL RIGHT TO EDUCATION: THE
EDUCATION FOR ALL HANDICAPPED
CHILDREN ACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1. An Overview........................................... 19
2.2. Court-Ordered Implementation of P.L. 94-142:
Mattie T. v. Holladay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.3. Free Appropriate Public Education ......................... 25
2.4. Handicapped Children ................................... 28
2.5. Individualized Education Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.6. Due Process Procedures .................................. 32
2.7. Appeals................................................ 35
2.8. Surrogate Parents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.9. Evaluations............................................. 37
2.10. Least Restrictive Environment............................. 38
2.11. Least Restrictive Environment and the Courts:
The Willowbrook Case ................................... 39
2.12. Confidentiality of Records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
IX
CO'.;TE:\'TS
2.13. Excluding Persons without a Legitimate Educational Interest:
The Government Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2.14. Notes ................................................. 46
Chapter 3 PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
HANDICAPPED STUDENTS ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
3.1. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ................ 47
3.2. Preschool, Elementary, and Secondary Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.3. The Integration Requirement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3.4. Court-Ordered Integration: Hairston v. Drosick .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3.5. Evaluation Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5j
3.6. Nonacademic Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.7. Postsecondary Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.8. Auxiliary Aids .......................................... ))
3.9. Access to Postsecondary Programs: Southeastern Community
College v. Davis ........................................ 57
3.10. Other Section 504 Provisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.11. Notes ................................................. 61
Chapter 4 THE SPECIAL EDUCATION HEARING:
PREPARATION AND LITIGATION.................. 62
4. 1. The Purpose of a Hearing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.2. Preparation for the Hearing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.3. At the Hearing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.4. The Hearing Officer .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
4. 5. The Opening Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.6. The Presentation of Witnesses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.7. The Testimony of School District Officials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.8. Medical Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
4.9. The Psychological Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
4.10. The Parent as a Witness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
4.11. Cross-Examination ...................................... 75
4.12. Closing Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.13. Appeals................................................ 76
4. 14. Model Exceptions ....................................... / /
4.15. Appeal to Court......................................... 81
4.16. Notes ................................................. 81
C():\'TEI\'TS XI
Chapter 5 MAJOR ISSUES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW..... S3
5. 1. Continuous Special Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S3
5.1.1. Special Education beyond the "Normal" School Year:
Armstrong v. Kline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S5
5.2. Discipline and Special Education .......................... 90
5.2.1. A Federal Court Opinion: Stuart v. Nappi............. 91
5.2.2. The Legal Arguments: Kenneth f. v. Kline. . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
5.2.3. Kenneth f. v. Kline Regulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5.3. Language and Racial Minorities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 100
5.3.1. The Courts and Minorities and Special Education: Lora v.
Board of Education of the City of New York. . . . . . . . . . .. 103
5.4. Spccial Education Malpractice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 109
5.4.1. Denying Educational Malpractice Claims:
Hoffman v. Board of Education of the City of New York.. 110
5.5. Gifted and Talented Children............................. 112
5.5.1. The Federal Laws. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 113
5.5.2. State Laws: A Comparative Approach of Two States. . . . .. 114
5.6. Notes ................................................. 117
Appendix 1 FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EDUCATION
OF ALL HANDICAPPED CHILDREN
(2() USc. ~~1401-1420) ........................... 119
Appendix 2 P.L. 94-142 REGULATIONS (34 C.F.R. PART 300) . .. 132
Appendix 3 SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT
OF 1973 (29 U.s.c. S 794) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. IS9
Appendix 4 SECTION 504 REGULATIONS (34 C.F.R. Part 104) .. 190
Appendix 5 LEGAL ORGANIZATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 224
INDEX..................................................... 227
SPECIAL
EDUCATION LAW
A Guide for Parents,
Advocates, and Educators