J.M. v. Christina School District

CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedDecember 17, 2024
Docket1:23-cv-00559
StatusUnknown

This text of J.M. v. Christina School District (J.M. v. Christina 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
J.M. v. Christina School District, (D. Del. 2024).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE J.M., by and through her Parents, Dana M. and Stephen M., and Dana M. and Stephen M., individually PIAA, Civil Action No. 23-0559-RGA Vv. CHRISTINA SCHOOL DISTRICT, Defendant.

MEMORANDUM OPINION Caitlin Elizabeth McAndrews, MCANDREWS, MEHALICK, CONNOLLY, HULSE & RYAN, P.C., Wilmington, DE; Jacqueline C. Lembeck (argued), MCANDREWS, MEHALICK, CONNOLLY, HULSE & RYAN, P.C., Berwyn, PA, Attorneys for Plaintiffs. Jennifer Marie Kinkus (argued), YOUNG, CONAWAY, STARGATT & TAYLOR LLP, Wilmington, DE, Attorney for Defendant.

Heselubeely, 2024

olulcd Muha... JUDGE: Plaintiffs J.M. and her parents (“Parents”) appeal to this Court from an administrative Hearing Panel’s denial of tuition reimbursement, an equitable remedy under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), 20 U.S.C. § 1400, ef seg. Plaintiffs also seek remedy under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”), 29 U.S.C. § 794; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12101, er seq.; the federal and state implementing regulations of the foregoing statutes; and 14 Del. Admin. C. § 922 et seg. (D.I. 18 at 1).! Before me are Plaintiffs’ Motion for Judgment on the Administrative Record (D.I. 17) and Defendant Christina School District’s motion for the same (D.1. 19). I have considered the parties’ briefing. (D.I. 18, 21) (Plaintiffs’ briefs); (D.I. 20) (Defendant’s brief). I heard oral argument on November 12, 2024. (D.I. 23). For the reasons set forth below, Defendant’s motion is GRANTED, and Plaintiffs’ motion is DENIED. I BACKGROUND J.M. is a minor diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder, ADHD, and Other Specified Anxiety Disorder. (D.I. 18 at 2). She was born with congenital heart disease, which has necessitated continued medical care. (/d.). J.M.’s conditions led to difficulty in math, reading, and writing (id. at 1), which prompted the District to identify J.M. as requiring special education under the IDEA in her fifth grade. (/d. at 2). A year later, frustrated with J.M.’s lack of progress in the District, J.M.’s parents transferred her to The Pilot School (“Pilot”), a

| Plaintiffs barely brief anything other than the IDEA. Plaintiffs make no independent argument in support of tuition reimbursement under the ADA or Section 504. Plaintiffs make no argument at all concerning Delaware law. The Delaware law argument is forfeited. See Higgins v. Bayada Home Health Care Inc., 62 F.4th 755, 763 (3d Cir. 2023) (“[A]rguments raised in passing . □ . but not squarely argued[] are considered [forfeited.]” (quoting John Wyeth & Bro. Ltd. v. CIGNA Int’l Corp., 119 F.3d 1070, 1076 n.6 (3d Cir. 1997)).

“specialized school in Wilmington, Delaware for students with learning difficulties.” (Jd. at 6). There, she was placed in a cohort of approximately six students, received individualized services, and benefitted from weekly speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. (/d@.) Her performance in math and reading improved. (/d.) J.M. remained at Pilot until eighth grade, after which she attended Centreville Layton School (“Centreville”), a private high school in Wilmington, Delaware offering classes of approximately seven to eight students and individualized accommodation plans for each student. (/d. at 9). Meanwhile, the District offered an alternative: for each of the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years in dispute, the District offered J.M. an Individualized Education Program (“IEP”), □□ statement of the services, modifications, and supports to be provided for J.M. in public school. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(1)(A). The purpose of an IEP is to ensure that a student receives a free appropriate public education (““FAPE”) as required by the IDEA. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(9). Though each IEP was directed toward J.M.’s particular strengths and weaknesses, containing goals for “written expression, reading comprehension, math problem solving and listening comprehension” (D.I. 20 at 19), the services in each IEP differed significantly from those available at Pilot and Centreville. Rather than being in a small group, J.M. would be placed in a general education environment (“A” setting) of thirty-five to forty students (D.I. 20 at 11), where she would be provided with Accommodations, Modifications, and Supports (“AMS”) such as preferential seating, specially adapted learning tools, and teacher check-ins, accompanied with ten- to fifteen-minute small group instruction sessions. (D.I. 20 at 8-11, 13~—14). Core

2 Other settings relevant to this opinion include the B, C, and D settings. A “B” setting includes services provided both in separate special education classes and the typical “A” setting; a “C” setting emphasizes separate education at the same facility; a “D” setting is a separate school. (D.I. 16-4 at 24 of 39).

classes would be co-taught by a certified general education teacher and a certified special education teacher. See Original Administrative Record (“AR”)’ at DOE000235, DOE000282, DOE001446.4 J.M.’s parents rejected both IEPs and filed a Due Process Complaint with the Delaware Department of Education seeking tuition reimbursement for J.M.’s education at Pilot and Centreville for the 2021 and 2022 school years. (D.I. 18 at 2). Following an evidentiary hearing held across multiple days, an independent administrative hearing panel (“Panel”) found that the District had offered J.M. a FAPE and that J.M.’s parents were not entitled to tuition reimbursement. (D.I. 20 at 1). J.M.’s parents appeal the Panel’s decision, and both parties have moved for Judgment on the Administrative Record. (D.I. 17, 19). II. LEGAL STANDARD Under the IDEA, J.M. is entitled toa FAPE. 20 U.S.C. § 1409(9) & 34 C.F.R. § 300.17. To ensure the appropriateness of the education provided, the IDEA requires school districts to form IEPs that implement instructional programs tailored to the student’s ability and skills. J.D.G. v. Colonial Sch. Dist., 748 F. Supp. 2d 362, 367 (D. Del. 2010). An IEP must “consist[ ]

3 A notice of filing of the original administrative record is docketed at D.I. 6, but the original □ administrative record itself is filed only in paper and is not available electronically. Cites to the original administrative record use the “DOE” numbers at the top-right corner of each page. The parties filed an electronic supplement to the administrative record (D.I. 16) that contains supplemental exhibits and improved scans of certain exhibits in the original administrative record. Where possible, citations are to D.I. 16. 4 The parties dispute whether all or just some of J.M.’s core classes would be co-taught. (D.I. 23 at 50:10—16, 52:3-14). The Panel was not asked to address this issue. The Panel’s opinion therefore did not resolve it. The Panel’sl opinion says that J.M. would be placed in an “inclusion setting.” AR at DOE000040.

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J.M. v. Christina School District, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jm-v-christina-school-district-ded-2024.