Attorney Maree Sneed, who specializes on education issues, outlined three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in which public school districts are involved parties.
She offered this overview before 100 members of the AASA Governing Board on Wednesday morning at the association’s national conference in New Orleans.
Sneed provided a handout that captured the implications of each case. (Attendees can request a copy by contacting her at maree.sneed@hoganlovells.com.)
The three current cases are:
- Fry v. Napolean Community Schools
The plaintiff in this case a young girl with cerebral palsy, who was not allowed to bring her guide dog into school with her because her IEP, which requires a 1:1 aide, did not identify a need for a guide dog to assist with her basic support in school. Her family sued under federal civil rights laws.
The school district is located in Michigan.
- Endrew F. v. Douglas County Schools
The plaintiff is a student with autism who attended the public schools before transferring to a private school setting in 5th grade, promoting his family to see tuition support from the school district.
The school district is located in Colorado.
- Gloucester County School Board v. G.G.
The plaintiff is a school district in Virginia that challenged a federal government advisory (in a “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education in the final year of the Obama administration) to allow transgender students to use the restroom aligned with their gender identification. The defendant is a transgender male high school student.
Sneed indicated AASA has signed on to an amicus brief filed by the National School Boards Association.
(By Jay P. Goldman, editor of Conference Daily Online.)