L.H. v. Chino Valley Unified School District

944 F. Supp. 2d 867, 2013 WL 1953698, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70562
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedMay 10, 2013
DocketNo. CV 12-1408 SS
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 944 F. Supp. 2d 867 (L.H. v. Chino Valley Unified School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
L.H. v. Chino Valley Unified School District, 944 F. Supp. 2d 867, 2013 WL 1953698, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70562 (C.D. Cal. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS

SUZANNE H. SEGAL, United States Magistrate Judge.

I.

INTRODUCTION

On August 28, 2012, plaintiffs L.H. and B.H. (“Parents”), along with their minor child, M.H. (“Student”) (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), filed a Complaint for attorneys’ fees pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400 et seq. (“Complaint,” Dkt. No. 4). On August 29, 2012, Defendant Chino Valley Unified School District (“Defendant”) filed a Motion to Dismiss. (“MTD,” Dkt. No. 12). Plaintiffs filed an Opposition, including the Declaration of Roshni Gandhi and accompanying exhibits, on November 30, 2012. (“Gandhi Decl.,” Dkt. No. 17). On the same day, Plaintiffs filed a Request for Judicial Notieé. (“RJN,” Dkt. No. 18). On December 20, 2012, Plaintiffs filed an Amended Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss correcting certain citation errors. (“Am. Opp.,” Dkt. No. 21). On January 28, 2013, Defendant filed a Reply. (“Reply,” Dkt. No. 26). On January 30, 2013, the Parties consented to proceed for all purposes before the undersigned Magistrate Judge. (Dkt. No. 27). On April 16, 2013, the Court held a hear[869]*869ing on the Motion. For the reasons stated below, Defendant’s Motion is GRANTED.

II.

OVERVIEW OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT

The IDEA provides federal funds to assist state and local agencies in educating children with disabilities. 20 U.S.C. § 1412; R.P. ex rel. C.P. v. Prescott Unified School Dist., 631 F.3d 1117, 1121 (9th Cir.2011). The primary purpose of the IDEA is to provide all children with disabilities “a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for education, employment and independent living ....” 20 U.S.C. § 1400(d)(1)(A). This purpose is implemented in part through the development of individualized education programs (“IEP”), which are prepared by a team including the student’s parents, teachers, and the local educational agency. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d); see also Lake Washington School Dist. No. 414 v. Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 634 F.3d 1065, 1066 (9th Cir.2011) (“The IDEA’S ‘core’ is the ‘cooperative process that it establishes between parents and schools,’ the ‘central vehicle’ of which is the development of an IEP.”) (quoting Schaffer v. Weast, 546 U.S. 49, 53, 126 S.Ct. 528, 163 L.Ed.2d 387 (2005)). Among other things, an IEP sets forth the student’s short term objectives and annual goals, the specific services to be provided to the student, and criteria for measuring the student’s progress. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d). Pursuant to federal regulations implementing the IDEA, public agencies receiving IDEA funds are required to ensure that the IEP team reviews “the child’s IEP periodically, but not less than annually, to determine whether the annual goals for the child are being achieved ....” 34 C.F.R. § 300.324(b)(l)(i).

In furtherance of its overall goals, “the IDEA requires that states enact procedural safeguards to guarantee parental involvement in decisions relating to the child’s education and to ensure local compliance with the IDEA.” Christopher S. ex rel. Rita S. v. Stanislaus Cnty. Office of Educ., 384 F.3d 1205, 1209 (9th Cir.2004). As the Ninth Circuit has explained,

To ensure parental involvement in educational decisions, the IDEA requires states to guarantee that parents of disabled students have the right to bring complaints “with respect to any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to such child.” [20 U.S.C.] § 1415(b)(6).. Any parent who brings such a complaint must have an opportunity for an impartial due process hearing conducted by the state or local educational agency. Id. § 1415(f). If the hearing is held by a state agency, as is the case in California, see Cal. Educ. Code § 56501(b)(4), any party dissatisfied with the result may file a civil action. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(2)(A).

Id. at 1210; see also Weissburg v. Lancaster School Dist., 591 F.3d 1255, 1257 n. 1 (9th Cir.2010) (“Under the IDEA, any party [including a local educational agency] may request a due process hearing when there is a dispute about the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of a child.”) (emphasis in original); Winkelman ex rel. Winkelman v. Parma City School Dist., 550 U.S. 516, 526, 127 S.Ct. 1994, 167 L.Ed.2d 904 (2007) (following an impartial due process hearing by the state educational agency, “an aggrieved party may commence suit in federal court”).

“Distinct from the IDEA’S due process requirements, the U.S. Department of Ed[870]*870ucation promulgated regulations pursuant to its general rulemaking authority requiring each recipient of federal funds, including funds provided through the IDEA, to put in place a complaint resolution procedure (‘CRP’).” Porter v. Board of Trustees of Manhattan Beach Unified School Dist., 307 F.3d 1064, 1067 (9th Cir.2002); see also 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.151-153. “The CRP is designed to provide parents and school districts with mechanisms that allow them to resolve differences without resort to more costly and litigious resolution through due process.” Lucht v. Molalla River School Dist., 225 F.3d 1023, 1028 (9th Cir.2000) (internal quotation marks omitted); see also R.R. ex rel. R. v. Fairfax Cnty. School Bd., 338 F.3d 325, 331 n. 5 (4th Cir.2003) (“The CRP is an alternative method of addressing an IDEA grievance ....”) (citing Lucht). Under the CRP, parents, students and organizations may file a compliance complaint with the state educational agency when a “public agency has violated the IDEA.”1 Lucht, 225 F.3d at 1029; see also 34 C.F.R. § 300.153(b).

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Bluebook (online)
944 F. Supp. 2d 867, 2013 WL 1953698, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70562, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lh-v-chino-valley-unified-school-district-cacd-2013.