Pagan-Negron v. Seguin Independent School District

974 F. Supp. 2d 1020, 2013 WL 5372420, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136764
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Texas
DecidedSeptember 24, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. SA-12-CV-055-XR
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 974 F. Supp. 2d 1020 (Pagan-Negron v. Seguin Independent School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pagan-Negron v. Seguin Independent School District, 974 F. Supp. 2d 1020, 2013 WL 5372420, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136764 (W.D. Tex. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER

XAVIER RODRIGUEZ, District Judge.

On this day the Court considered Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket No. 26), Plaintiffs’ Response (Docket No. 29), and Defendant’s Reply (Docket No. 31). For the reasons stated below, Defendant’s motion is GRANTED.

I. Background

A. Factual Background

C.M.P. is a former student of Seguin Independent School District (“SISD”) who was served through special education pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) from 2006 until he withdrew from the school district in January 2012. C.M.P. began kindergarten at Koennecke Elementary in 2006, at which time he was evaluated for special education services and determined eligible as a student with a speech impairment. See Defendant’s motion for summary judgment, Ex. C at 15. Pursuant to the IDEA, SISD convened an Admission, Review, Dismissal (“ARD”) Committee which consisted of C.M.P.’s mother, Plaintiff Amaris Pagan-Negron, and other individuals knowledgeable about C.M.P.’s disability and educational needs. See id. at 16-20. Pagan-Negron frequently attended the ARD meetings. See generally Ex. D to Defendant’s MSJ. The Committee met at least annually to develop, review, and revise C.M.P.’s Individual Education Program (“IEP”). See generally Ex. C to Defendant’s MSJ.

During C.M.P.’s second grade year, 2008-2009, he began having some behavioral problems in class, including tantrums “when he was [not] a leader, ... [did not] make 100s [on tests] or make his goal.” Id. at 26. These behaviors were discussed during his annual ARD meeting held in March 2009, with staff noting that C.M.P. needed a lot of redirection from teachers, behavior support staff, and the principal. See id. Pagan-Negron indicated that she had scheduled a neuro-psychological exam for her son and the ARD Committee put selected modifications in place for C.M.P. to address his needs. See id. During this time period, C.M.P. began seeing a behavior therapist for anger management. See id. at 28.

[1025]*1025The ARD Committee met in December 2009, during C.M.P.’s third grade year, for his annual ARD meeting and to review recently completed evaluation results. See Ex. C to Defendant’s MSJ at 34. C.M.P. did not have the scheduled neuro-psychological exam mentioned by Pagan-Negron during the last ARD meeting on March 2009. See id. The Committee discussed his behaviors, including “meltdowns” when he did not make the grade he wanted, and also discussed the accommodations and strategies they had used to evaluate progress on his behavior. See id. at 30-35.

A disciplinary incident that occurred on January 14, 2010 is the underlying cause of this lawsuit. According to C.M.P.’s third-grade teacher Lisa Shelton, C.M.P.’s behavior that day was “significantly disruptive.” Ex. J to Defendant’s MSJ at 2. She “tried multiple times to re-direct him, but [her] efforts were unsuccessful.” Id. Shelton alleges that C.M.P. “began flinging his personal belongings and hitting other students” and she ultimately called the Principal, Yomeida Guerra, to remove C.M.P. from her classroom. Id.

According to Principal Guerra, she removed C.M.P. from class and warned him that his behavior could result in removal to the alternative school. See Ex. H at 54. However, Plaintiffs contend that Principal Guerra “publicly humiliated [C.M.P.] in front of his peers and teacher” by bringing C.M.P. in front of the class and asking “for a show of hands by students that were tired of C.M.P. and his behavior.” Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint ¶ 4. Principal Guerra and Ms. Shelton both deny that such an incident occurred. See Ex. J to Defendant’s MSJ at 2; see also Ex. H to Defendant’s MSJ at 57.

Due to changes in the school district boundaries, C.M.P. attended Vogel Elementary for his fourth and fifth grade years. During the summer of 2010, prior to C.M.P.’s fourth grade year, C.M.P.’s private physician referred C.M.P. for a psychological evaluation due to suspected Asperger’s disorder. See Ex. C at 36-45. The evaluator noted that C.M.P. was a “good student academically but has exhibited significant behavior problems,” including having “meltdowns” at school and home. Id. at 37. The evaluator interviewed C.M.P. about his school experience, and C.M.P. did not mention the January incident or any incident of “public humiliation” at school. See id. The evaluator determined that C.M.P. “appeared] to meet [the] criteria for a diagnosis of Asperger’s Disorder.” Id. at 45.

C.M.P.’s annual ARD meeting for fourth grade was held in December 2010, at which time Pagan-Negron presented the evaluation. See Ex. C at 46-50. The ARD Committee reviewed the outside information provided by Pagan-Negron and revised C.M.P.’s IEP accordingly by adding the eligibility category of “Autism” and implemented additional services as appropriate. See id. C.M.P. had been working with a behavior specialist at SISD and had made improvements in his behavior. Id. at 49. There does not appear to have been any significant disciplinary issues at school during C.M.P.’s fourth grade year.

During the beginning of C.M.P.’s fifth grade year, the 2011-2012 school year, he began exhibiting more behavioral problems. See Ex. C at 56. The ARD Committee met in mid-September 2011 to discuss C.M.P.’s behavior and develop a Behavior Intervention Plan (“BIP”). See id. It appears that C.M.P. had a violent episode with suicidal ideation at home towards the end of September and was hospitalized for one week. See id. at 57-60. Following C.M.P.’s discharge and return to school, SISD staff collaborated with C.M.P.’s outside medical and mental health providers to discuss his needs, in-[1026]*1026eluding possible revisions to his special education eligibility category, services, and placement. See id. at 62-64. The ARD Committee met in early November to discuss C.M.P.’s program, additional assessments needed, and additional services to provide. See id. at 65-71. Pagan-Negron engaged Loretta Zayas-Revai, a lay advocate, who requested C.M.P.’s educational records and attended the ARD meeting. See id. C.M.P.’s physician, Dr. Tomasovich, raised various concerns with C.M.P.’s educational program and requested that the ARD Committee place C.M.P. on Homebound due to his fragile state. See id. at 70-71. The ARD Committee began providing Homebound Services to C.M.P. thereafter.

In the weeks following the November 2011 ARD meeting, the advocates and Pagan-Negron informed SISD for the first time that they believed C.M.P. had been verbally abused by Principal Guerra on January 14, 2010. At the advocates’ suggestion, Pagan-Negron filed a complaint of child abuse with Child Protective Services (“CPS”). See Ex. E-2 at 22. According to the Plaintiffs, CPS informed them that the case had to be dismissed because “too much time had passed between the time of the incident and the investigation” and because C.M.P. “was no longer under the authority of Yomeida Guerra ... so she was no longer a threat to his well[-]being.” See id. On December 5, 2011, PaganNegron filed a Request for Special Education Due Process Hearing with the Texas Education Agency on behalf of C.M.P. See Ex. A-l.

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974 F. Supp. 2d 1020, 2013 WL 5372420, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pagan-negron-v-seguin-independent-school-district-txwd-2013.