Please join us for a discussion on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision clarifying the legal standard federal courts must apply in evaluating individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. In Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, the Court held that under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), IEPs for students with disabilities should be “reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.”
The Court’s decision largely rejected the arguments for the application of a more stringent standard, as urged by both the petitioners in the case and the U.S. government. The Court also rejected the “merely more than de minimus” standard applied by the lower courts in Endrew’s case. Instead, the Endrew decision – as with the Rowley decision before it – stopped short of presenting a bright-line standard, offered significant deference to the professional judgment of educators and underscored that the federal courts should not substitute their judgments for the reasoned assessments of educational experts.
The ruling and discussion in the opinion significantly reflect the legal arguments set forth in an amicus curiae brief presented to the Court by the Council of the Great City Schools. At this session, three authors of the brief will discuss the case and its implications for your district.
Date and Time
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. EDT
Presenters
John W. Borkowski, Partner, Husch Blackwell
Michael T. Raupp, Attorney, Husch Blackwell
Julie Wright Halbert, Legislative Counsel, Council of the Great City Schools
Who Should Attend
Public school district leaders, including in-house counsel, board members, administrators, special education directors and others involved in the IEP process.
Continuing Education Credit
This program is pending approval for Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania continuing legal education credit. CLE credit may be available in other states through individual application. Please let us know if you want us to look into other states for future webinars. We will do so once we have a critical mass of interested participants.
Questions?
Contact Emily Kenyon at 816.983.8776.