The Forest Grove, a case that went up to the U.S. Supreme Court and was decided for the parents, and remanded back to the lower courts for more adjudication, has finally resulted in a ruling for the school district. The 9th Circuit ruled that the student was placed in a residential placement for drug use which is a "non-educational need." Download 0461_0001.
I have trouble with this decision because many students who have not had their educational needs met or even evaluated, resort to drugs and that frequently is not the cause of the their educational issues. Even more troubling is the magnitude of the fees expended on both sides so that there really is no winner in this case. I imagine if the district had been willing to bend a little in mediation, reasonable parents and their attorney could have reached a compromise without spending over $750,000 in fees collectively for both sides
There is very little relationship between educational needs and drug use in schools and I really feel that the money spent could have been used elsewhere to improve education and improve educational facilities.
Jean
Posted by: Jean Smith | August 31, 2011 at 10:55 AM