Recent Cases: LAUSD SELPA

LAUSD SELPA
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

Due Process Settlements

Date: 2/16/11
Case Number: 09-01083
School District: LAUSD
Age or grade: middle school
Disability: Eligible under the categories of NLD . Nonverbal Learning Dissability and Aspergers, Autistic spectrum disorder
Outcome: District Court reverses ALJ and decides case in favor of the Student. An LAUSD case in which tuition reimbursement was awarded to Parents after they privately placed him at Bridges Academy. In a comprehensive 65 page decision Judge Morrow reversed the 2008 decision. Click here to read the entire decision.

Date: 1/20/09
Case Number: 2008100147
School District: LAUSD
Age or grade: 18 years old
Disability: Eligible under the categories of ED and SLD . Student's disailities include Anxiety Disorder and Depressive disorder.
Outcome: Student had not been eligible for special education and related services for a number of years and parents had privately provided placements and services. In a settlement agreement, the District agreed to reimburse Parents for tuition at Westview School New Haven Residential Treatment Center and Second Nature Wilderness Program, including transportation and attorneys' fees. Palisades Charter High School agreed to reimburse Parents for educational services provided by a private tutoring agency.

Date: 12/16/2008
Case Number: 2008080802
School District: LAUSD
Age or grade: 22 years old
Disability: Autistic spectrum disorder
Outcome: Student with average cognitive abilities had been in a segregated special education school for a number of years without any meaninful instruction. In a settlement agreement, the District agreed to fund placement, transportation, and speech and language services at Bridgeport's Transitional High School program. Parents were also reimbursed for a privately funded Neuropsychological Evaluation and attorneys' fees.

Date: June 27, 2007
Case Number: N2006060895
School District: LAUSD
Age or grade: 11
Disability: Autistic spectrum disorder
Outcome: High Functioning Female Middle School Student. Parents privately placed student at Summit View, an NPS. In a settlement agreement Parents were reimbursed for private assessments, tuition, transportation and attorney fees.

Date: September 4, 2006
Case Number: S-0672-05/o6
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 9
Disability: Autism
Outcome: High Functioning Male 3rd grader was given full time NPA aide support, social skills, counseling and speech and language services. In a settlement agreement Parents were reimbursed for all out of pocket assessments and attorney fees.

Date: June 12, 2006
Case Number: N2006090586
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 15, 10 th
Disability: Autism
Outcome: Male High School Student who had been placed in a “functional” program without academics. In a settlement agreement, Student was placed at Tobinworld, an NPS which includes academics within its programs, and reimbursed attorney fees.

Date: May 2, 2006
Case Number: N2006050047
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 13
Disability: Autism
Outcome: High School Male High Functioning with extreme school anxiety. In a settlement agreement, Student was provided a home based program with 3 hours per day of NPA speech and language support, including transportation and reimbursement for attorney fees

Date: June 27, 2005
Case Number: N2005070182
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 9
Disability: Autism
Outcome: Low Verbal Male Elementary School student who had been abused by a teacher in a prior placement. Through a settlement agreement Student was placed into an autistic specific program at Logan Elementary. Students was given private assessments, multiple compensatory hours and reimbursement for attorney fees

Date: June 9, 2005
Case Number: 05-01529
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 13
Disability: OHI, SLD, Autism
Outcome: High Functioning Female Middle School Student was placed at Frostig, an NPA in Pasadena. In a settlement agreement Parents were awarded tuition, transportation and attorney fees.

Date: June 12. 2006
Case Number: N2006060373
School District : Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 13
Disability: OHI, ED
Outcome: Gifted Male Student with mixed eligibilities. After being jockeyed around from public school placement, to NPS, to Home/Hospital and back to public school, a settlement agreement provided Student with reimbursement for private placement at Waldorf School in Santa Monica. Subsequently, through another Due Process filing, Student was provided placement at Village Glen, an NPS for autism. Student was placed in the PACE program which is a program for gifted students. Parents were reimbursed for attorney fees and private assessments.

Date: December 6, 2006
Case Number: N2006120299
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 11
Disability: Aspergers, SLD, Autism
Outcome: Male High Functioning Student. After 2 due process filings each one settled, Student is being placed in a Help Group program, NPS at District expense. Parents were reimbursed for all out of pocket expenses, including attorney fees.

Date: July 26, 2006
Case Number: N2007060495
School District: Los Angeles Unified School Districit
Age or grade: 16
Disability: SLD (S/L)
Outcome: Male High School Student who had also developed school anxiety. Parents privately placed Student at Frostig, a NPS in Pasadena. Through a settlement agreement Parents were reimbursed for the placement, for all out of pocket expenses and attorney fees.

Date: December 14, 2006
Case Number: N2006120514
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 10
Disability: SLD
Outcome: Female Elementary Student. Parents experienced extreme hostility at the IEP meeting. After retaining counsel Parents were provided with a facilitated IEP meeting which resulted in the appropriate services being offered to Student. Through a subsequent settlement Parents were reimbursed for private assessments and attorney fees

Case Number: SN05-00729
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
Age or grade: 5
Disability: Autism
Outcome: Low Verbal Male Preschool Student was provided NPA services for Speech and Language, a pre-school aide and attorney fees

SN05----- v. LAUSD: Case involves 5th grade student with learning disabilities, possible Asperger's and epilepsy. Student needs small, structured environment with intensive intervention and research based methodology to address her unique deficits. Parents disagreed with offer to place student in large public middle school for next year. Case was settled. Child given an NPS placement which was appropriate.

July 2005, SN05----- v. LAUSD: Case involves a middle school student with Autism, who has previously been placed in NPS. Student is bright, and at one time was identified by the school district as gifted. He is currently not in a placement. A2Z is seeking appropriate prospective placement and services, along with compensatory education and reimbursements. Case settled. Student was placed at the Center for Learning Unlimited which is an unique learning environment. Parents also receive transportation reimbursement.

July 2005, SN04---- vs. LAUSD. The case involved a elementary school student with dyslexia. Confidential settlement addressed various issues, including placement and services.

July 2005, SN03----- vs. LAUSD; and SN05----- vs. LAUSD: The case involves a middle school student with Asperger's. Both settlements have addressed private placement.

July 2005, SN05----- v. LAUSD: In a case involving an elementary school student with Asperger's, who was only identified within the last year, A2Z negotiated a settlement involving prospective placement and services.

July 2005, SN05----- v. LAUSD: In a case involving a elementary school student with language processing deficits, and a reading disability, A2Z negotiated a settlement to address compensatory education and assessments.

February 2005, SN 02-XXXX A2Z settled a case with LAUSD involving a 7-year old physically handicapped student. The issue was placement at a school that could accommodate her physical limitations. The district agreed to pay for a full-time aide and the parents agreed to pay for the tuition at the private school.

February 2005, SN 04-XXXX A2Z settled a case with LAUSD involving a 10-year Autism student with extreme behavior issues. Student was given a full-time trained aide from an NPA, inclusion in some main-stream academics, remainder of the time in SDC. Additional assessments are to conducted by district providers who have specific training in autism.

July 2005, SN05----- v. LAUSD: Case involves an elementary school student with a Specific Learning Disability "SLD." School offered what was stated to be their "maximum" program at that school, which was only 2 hours per day of specialized services. A2Z sought NPS placement to address severe processing deficits and other unique learning needs.

July 2005, SN05---- v. LAUSD: Student is a middle school student with dyslexia. She transitioned to high school. A2Z alleged that the program offered, which is at a large public high school and which did not take into account the recommendations made by an expert, was inappropriate. Student sought NPS placement as FAPE.

July 2005, SN05----- v. LAUSD: Student is an elementary school student with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). He transitioned to middle school. He did not meet all of the goals under his IEP. Proposed placement, which was rejected by parents, was to be at the large local middle school in an SDC. Student required more intensive intervention, and A2Z sought NPS placement.

July 2005, SN05----- v. LAUSD: Student is middle school student with Asperger's and Learning Disabilities. Her social / emotional and academic needs were allegedly not being met. Student sought placement in a small, structured program (NPS) where her unique learning difficulties will be addressed.

July 2005, SN05----- v. LAUSD: Student is an elementary school student, who transitioned to middle school. Parents rejected proposed offer, which is in the large, local middle school. Student has learning disabilities, epilepsy, and possibly Asperger's or Autistic Like characteristics. She has social delays and unique learning needs, and needs an environment where these can be addressed. A2Z sought NPS placement.

July 2005, SN05---- v. LAUSD Student is an elementary school student and is eligible under the category of Orthopedic Impairment. Placement offered is in a school that is not entirely accessible to her, and in which her unique needs related to her physical disability will allegedly not be addressed. A2Z is fighting for continued placement at her current private school, with the assistance of a 1:1 trained aide.

SN___ v. LAUSD: This case involves an elementary student with autism. The student has been offered minimal services and SDC placement, with no services to address social issues, occupational therapy, or general education inclusion. The student haD not made progress. The case also involves several procedural violations, some of which were successfully addressed through compliance complaints. Petitioner sought alternative placement and intensive services both as compensatory and prospective FAPE.

Through settlement, A2Z secured an appropriate program for an elementary school student with autism, including placement in an appropriate SDC, DIS services, and new assessments to determine educational needs. The disagreement included a proposed change of eligibility to MR as well as appropriate placement and services.

A2Z negotiated agreement on a case involving a middle school student (currently transitioning to high school) who qualifies under the SLD category. The student has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia, and has not made adequate progress in the resource program. The settlement includes reimbursement for private assessment, future assessments in areas of need, and a bulk of compensatory education hours to be used as private Educational Therapy services.

A2Z negotiated a settlement agreement involving placement and services for an autistic high school student. The issues involved FAPE in the Least Restrictive Environment. The student was placed in her home school in regular education classes, with a trained aide under the supervision of an NPA who will also provide inclusion facilitation.

SN03-02040: A2Z negotiated a confidential settlement agreement with a large local school district regarding placement and services for a 5 year old with autism. The case also involved procedural violations in the offer of placement, including the failure of the district to provide important information about the placement to the parents. The parents secured an appropriate placement for the student, with services including home based BII.

SN03-01230: A2Z negotiated a confidential settlement agreement with a large school district, involving a 11 year old student with autism. The settlement provides for reimbursement for private placement for part of the 2003 school year and prospective placement at the private school for the 2003-2004 school year. The private placement will be stay put. The settlement also includes DIS services to be provided at the private school site. Parents were reimbursed for all out of pocket expenses, including assessments and attorney's fees.

SN02-00029: A2Z negotiated a confidential settlement agreement with LAUSD local district D, involving a 6th grade middle school student with SLD, originally a student at Topanga Elementary. The settlement provides for placement at Westmark with all appropriate services and reimbursement for attorney's fees.

Compliance Complaints

Case #S-0740-03/04: LAUSD was found out of compliance on one allegation, which was the failure to implement services pursuant to an IEP. The district was required to provide compensatory speech and language therapy to the student.

Case #S-0577-03/04: LAUSD was found out of compliance on all three allegations, which included the failure to implement the IEP with regards to placement, the failure to provide prior written notice, and the failure to develop, review and revise the IEP according to behavioral needs. Corrective actions included holding an IEP to determine compensatory services, reimbursement for costs parents incurred during time that student was not in school, and training for school staff of prior written notice requirements.

Case #S-0805-02/03: LAUSD was found out of compliance on two of the allegations, which involved failing to provide records and failing to hold an IEP within the required timelines. As a result, the district was required to hold the IEP and to submit evidence of a memo on the requirements of records request.

Case #S-0522-02/03: LAUSD was found out of compliance on both allegations, involving conducting an IEP within the required timelines and adhering to the 15 day assessment plan timeline. The district was required to send a memo reviewing these requirements to staff and hold an IEP to determine loss of educational benefit and compensatory services.

Case #S-0785-02/03: LAUSD was found out of compliance on one allegation, which involved conducting assessments within the required timeline. As a result, the district was ordered to hold an IEP as a result of the assessments and provide compensatory services, if appropriate. Pending compliance complaint investigations at this time involve several local districts, and include violations such as failure to implement mediation agreements, failure to hold IEP meetings, change of placement without notice, change of placement / greater than 10 day suspension without manifestation determination, failure to provide records, and failure to conduct assessments within required timelines.

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