Special Education Placement
In this article, you will find:
A word of caution
Parents and their attorneys and advocates need to be very wary of basing decisions to enroll children at private placements on a decision like Matthew J. When a lower federal court takes a position that pushes boundaries, we cannot be certain that other lower courts will do the same or that higher appellate courts will ultimately uphold their reasoning. At the same time, cases like Matthew J. can be very helpful in arguing for school systems to settle cases involving similar issues and fact patterns. The most important consequence of having private alternative educational programs for children with special educational needs is that school systems must develop and maintain appropriate programs of their own to avoid having to pay for those alternatives.
Robert K. Crabtree is a partner at Kotin, Crabtree, and Strong, LLP, a general practice law firm in Boston, Massachusetts. Among other areas of practice, Mr. Crabtree concentrates in special education and disability law.
Copyright © 1998 Kotin, Crabtree, and Strong, LLP