PLEASE NOTE: To protect your safety in response to the threats of Covid-19, we are offering our clients the ability to meet with us in person, via telephone or through video conferencing. Please call our office to discuss your options.

Every Child Deserves A Meaningful Education

School board admin files lawsuit regarding IEP

On Behalf of | May 16, 2024 | Education Law |

When a California school student has special needs, issues may arise that evoke passionate responses from parents, teachers, service providers or school board members. The primary goal, of course, is always to amicably discuss relevant issues and work together as a team to help a child with special needs achieve their full potential in public school. This often includes the development of an individualized education program (IEP).  

If a parent believes that a child’s needs are not being met, or worse, that a school district has not complied with an IEP, anger and frustration may set in. This appears to be what happened in a case in another state, where a single dad has been advocating for his son. He says that not only has the district failed to comply with his son’s IEP, but it has also targeted him in a lawsuit for $600,000 in so-called damages.  

Dad says school board admin is reacting to IEP non-compliance issues 

The dad in question, who resides in Virginia, informed the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) that his repeated attempts to get the school district to comply with his son’s IEP have been met with disdain. He says his son continues to fall further behind in school and the dad has been treated as though he is wrong for advocating for his son. The VDOE reviewed the case and stated that the county school district is non-compliant regarding the student’s IEP. 

Instead of resolving the issue, the school board administrator filed a lawsuit against the student’s father, reportedly without informing members of the school board. At least one board member posted on a social media platform that he does not support the admin’s actions. The boy’s father is acting alongside experienced legal representation, which is what any California parent experiencing similar legal problems regarding an IEP will want to do as well.