A.C. v. Brandywine School District

CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedFebruary 10, 2023
Docket1:21-cv-00713
StatusUnknown

This text of A.C. v. Brandywine School District (A.C. v. Brandywine School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
A.C. v. Brandywine School District, (D. Del. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE A.C., by and through her parents, : CIVIL ACTION TAMMY C. and JASON C., of : Wilmington, Delaware : : v. : : BRANDYWINE SCHOOL DISTRICT : NO. 21-0713 (LFR) MEMORANDUM OPINION L.FELIPE RESTREPO FEBRUARY 10, 2023 UNITED STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE A.C., by and through her parents (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), brought this civil action against the Brandywine School District (“Brandywine” or “the District”), which is located in Wilmington, Delaware. According to Plaintiffs, Brandywine failed to provide A.C. a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA” or “Act”), 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400–82. Plaintiffs further allege discrimination in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (“Section 504”), 29

U.S.C. § 794, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12131 et seq. This action follows the decision of a Delaware Department of Education Due Process Panel (“the Panel”).1 Before the Court are cross-motions for judgment on the administrative record. For the reasons that follow, Brandywine’s motion is granted,

1 The complete amended certified copy of the record of the Due Process Hearing was filed March 3, 2022 (ECF 19) and is cited herein as “R.” Plaintiffs’ cross-motion is denied, and Judgment is entered in Brandywine’s favor. I. BACKGROUND a. Statutory Framework

The IDEA offers States federal funds to assist in educating disabled children. Endrew F. ex rel. Joseph F. v. Douglas Cnty. Sch. Dist. RE-1, 137 S. Ct. 988, 993 (2017). Those federal funds – as is often the case – come with strings attached: accepting States must comply with certain statutory requirements. Id. at 994. One of those requirements is that every disabled child receives a “free appropriate public education,” see 20 U.S.C.

§ 1412(a)(1), which includes both “special education” and “related services.” § 1401(9). As defined by the Act, “special education” is “specially designed instruction . . . to meet the unique needs” of a disabled child; “related services” are any support services or accommodations “required to assist” in that instruction. § 1401(29), (26); see also Endrew F., 137 S. Ct. at 993–94.

The States provide special education and related services by developing an “individualized education program” (“IEP”) for each disabled student. § 1401(9)(D). An IEP is a written comprehensive education plan identifying a disabled child’s present performance levels and future academic goals, and it outlines concrete steps to assist the student. §§ 1412(a)(4), 1414(d).

To comply with the IDEA, an IEP must be “reasonably calculated to enable . . . progress appropriate in light of the [disabled student’s] circumstances.” Endrew F., 137 S. Ct. at 1001. That language is consistent with our Circuit’s understanding: the 2 educational program “must be reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive meaningful educational benefits in light of the student’s intellectual potential and individual abilities.” Ridley Sch. Dist. v. M.R., 680 F.3d 260, 269 (3d Cir. 2012) (internal

quotation marks and citation omitted); see also K.D. ex rel. Dunn v. Downingtown Area Sch. Dist., 904 F.3d 248, 254 (3d Cir. 2018). b. Facts Kindergarten to the third grade, 2013 – 2017. A.C. attended public school in the Brandywine School District from kindergarten through the fifth grade. Before the third

grade, A.C.’s behavior in school and at home became a concern. At this point, A.C.’s parents were primarily concerned with their daughter’s reading abilities. Brandywine apparently acknowledged this concern, since in the third grade, A.C. received Tier III Response to Intervention (“RTI”) academic training.2

2 RTI is a general, not special, education initiative. R. 520. It provides students with scientifically-based tiered interventions designed to assist in reading. Id. With RTI in place, students can make progress in reading comprehension without receiving special education services. Id. Tier I is for students who read at grade level but may have some issues. R. 438. Tier II is for those students who read at or below grade level and require targeted interventions. R. 439. Tier III – the most intensive Tier – is for students who are at high risk of failure and may qualify for special education services. Id. Ms. Tania Pearson, M.A., a Brandywine school psychologist, described Tier III as follows: “When a student receives a Tier III intervention, they’re getting the highest level of intervention prior to considering specialized instruction, and it is more individualized.” R. 413 (emph. added). Dr. Lisa Lawson, Assistant Superintendent at Brandywine, further explained: “[Y]ou can have students in Tier III for many years, and they still don’t qualify or become eligible for special education and related services. RTI is a general education initiative, and it was done on purpose so that we could look to see if students could make progress with scientifically based evidence interventions without identifying them with a disability that they did not have.” R. 520. 3 Fourth grade, 2017 – 2018. In the beginning of her fourth-grade year, A.C. continued to struggle with reading. To start off the year, she performed poorly on the STAR exam,3 scoring in the third-grade equivalency range. R. 440–41. So she remained

in Tier III RTI, receiving two specific intervention programs: Road to Reading and Read Naturally Fluency.4 By the end of fourth grade, in Spring 2018, A.C. scored near fifth- grade equivalency standards on the STAR exam. R. 441. Over the course of her fourth-grade year, A.C. underwent a series of academic and behavioral tests. First, in January and February 2018, Ms. Pearson, the Brandywine

certified school psychologist, evaluated A.C.’s academic abilities using various metrics.5 One test revealed that A.C.’s scores for reading comprehension fell into the 2.9 grade equivalency category, which meant that A.C. was reading far below fourth-grade standards. Ms. Pearson, however, testified that grade equivalency standards are not “empirically sound,” and that A.C.’s reading capabilities, when compared to other fourth-

grade students, fell into an average percentile. R. 403–05. A.C.’s math skills were average. R. 403. Once Ms. Pearson completed this first set of academic tests, she

3 The STAR exam is a reading comprehension exam. R. 440–41. All Brandywine students take the STAR exam three times throughout the year to measure ability. Id.

4 The former is a phonics-based reading class, which at the time A.C. received it was administered by a special education teacher; the latter addressed reading comprehension and fluency. R. 395.

5 To be thorough, Ms. Pearson examined A.C. using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, and the Test of Written Language. Ms. Pearson also drew from report cards, interviews with faculty, and A.C.’s parents. R. 402. 4 mentioned that A.C. exhibited signs of anxiety and suggested that A.C. undergo socioemotional testing. R. 404. A.C.’s parents agreed to further testing, so Ms. Pearson then administered to A.C. the Behavior Assessment System for Children.6 R. 405. The

test revealed signs of anxiety, depression, and poor social skills. Id. Shortly thereafter, A.C.’s parents sought private therapy for A.C., and the therapist diagnosed A.C. with a general anxiety disorder.

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Related

DS EX REL. DS v. Bayonne Bd. of Educ.
602 F.3d 553 (Third Circuit, 2010)
Ridley School District v. M.R.
680 F.3d 260 (Third Circuit, 2012)
Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools
580 U.S. 154 (Supreme Court, 2017)
K. D. v. Downingtown Area School Distri
904 F.3d 248 (Third Circuit, 2018)
Jalen Z. v. School District of Philadelphia
104 F. Supp. 3d 660 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 2015)
Endrew F. v. Douglas Cnty. Sch. Dist. RE-1
580 U.S. 386 (Supreme Court, 2017)

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A.C. v. Brandywine School District, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ac-v-brandywine-school-district-ded-2023.