Court+Cases

= Court decisions =

Court decisions provide guidelines governing placement under IDEA.
Even after several reauthorizations of IDEA, most recently in 2004, federal law leaves several questions unanswered, including three significant ones: The following federal court decisions provide school districts with some measure of what is expected of them in determining the appropriate placement for children with disabilities.
 * How far must schools go?
 * How important is potential academic achievement/social growth in making placement decisions?
 * What are the rights of the other children?


 * Greer vs. Rome City School District (11th Circuit Court, 1992)
 * Sacramento City Unified School District vs. Holland (9th Circuit Court, 1994)
 * Oberti vs. Board of Education of the Borough of Clementon School District (3rd Circuit Court, 1993)
 * Poolaw vs. Parker Unified School District (9 th Circuit Court, 1995)
 * School District of Wisconsin Dells v. Z. S. (7 th Circuit Court, 2002)
 * Other Court Decisions

** Conclusion **
Courts will carefully examine the facts in individual cases to determine whether school districts have offered an appropriate placement out of a continuum of placements available for every child with disabilities who is enrolled in the district. Courts will examine IEP team processes to ensure that placements are based on the individual needs of each child.

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