Supreme Ct. Rules for Deaf Student Who Sued Michigan Public School System for Inadequate Education

- 'Supreme Court rules for deaf student in education case,' AP, March 21, 2023.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday for a deaf student who sued his public school system for providing an inadequate education. The case is significant for other disabled students who allege they were failed by school officials.

The case the justices ruled in involves Miguel Luna Perez, who attended public school in Sturgis, Michigan. Perez’s lawyers told the court that for 12 years the school system neglected the boy and lied to his parents about the progress he was making, permanently stunting his ability to communicate.

The justices ruled that after Perez and his family settled a complaint against the school system — with officials agreeing to pay for additional schooling and sign language instruction — they could pursue money damages under a different federal law. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a eight-page opinion for the court that the case “holds consequences not just for Mr. Perez but for a great many children with disabilities and their parents.”

It remains difficult for Perez, who emigrated to the United States from Mexico at age 9, to make himself understood. Perez’s lawyers say the school system failed him by providing an aide who was not trained to work with deaf students, did not know sign language and in later years left him alone for hours at a time. After over a decade, Perez did not know any formal sign language and communicated through invented signs that anyone unfamiliar with his unique signing did not understand, his lawyers have said. --- https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-disabilities-education-deaf-student-sturgis-fd55c0675055ccce0e4eb5f2af0115c0
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- Also: 'Supreme Court hands victory to public school students with disabilities,' NPR, March 21, 2023.

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a deaf student can sue his school for its failure to provide him a public education tailored to his needs. Because the decision allows for the possibility of two separate lawsuits, it could give parents more leverage in negotiating with public schools over assistance for children with disabilities.

[These students raised hundreds of thousands to make their playground accessible].

Miguel Luna Perez enrolled in the Sturgis, Mich., public schools starting when he was 9 years old. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, the district was required to give him an appropriate public school education. But instead of providing Perez with aides able to translate class material into sign language, as promised, the aides were not trained in sign language at all, and often were absent from classes.

Because Perez received As and Bs on report cards, his parents thought he was on track to graduate. But toward the end of his last year in high school, they were informed he would not receive a diploma. After the parents filed a complaint with the state, the school district settled the case, agreeing to pay for future training at the Michigan School for the Deaf...https://www.npr.org/2023/03/21/1165072110/supreme-court-hands-victory-to-public-school-students-with-disabilities