2005 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 8-15-2005 

# S olin v . R i ve r t on B or B d E d P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 04-2689

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2005

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2005 D e c i sion s b y an authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " S o l in v . R ive r t on Bor Bd E d " (2005). 2005 D e cisio n s . P ape r 702. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2005/702NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT 

### No : 04- 2689 M I C H A E L SO L I N , byand thr ough hi s par ent s and a tto rn e y s-in -f

a c t; B A R R Y S O L IN ; PA T R IC IA S O L IN

v. RI VE RT ON B OR OUGH B OAR D OF E DUC AT I ON; P AL M YR A B OR OUGH B OAR D OF E DUC AT I ON

R i vert on B or ough B oar d of Educat i on, A ppel l ant

______________________________ A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt forthe D i s tr i ctof N ew J er s ey ( D . C . N o. 04- cv- 00147) D i s tr i ctJ udge: J os eph E. I r enas Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

on J une 28, 2005 B efor e: R O T H , R E N D E L L and B A R R Y , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: A ugus t15, 2005)2 _______________ OP I NI ON

________________ R O T H , C i r cui tJ udge: B . S. on behal f of M . S. br oughtan ac t i on agai ns tthe Pal m yr a B or ough B oar d of E ducat i on and the R i vert on B or ough B oar d of Educat i on ( the School B oar ds ) s eeki ng r el i ef unde rthe I ndi vi dual s w i th D i s abi l i t i es E ducat i on A ct( I D E A ) i n the form of p a ym e n t b yth e S c h o o l B o a rd s f o r th e e x p e n se s a ss o c iate d w ith M .S .’s e d u c a tio n a t a pr i vat e s chool . St at e admi ni s tr at i ve r evi ew of M . S. ’ s cl ai m bya s t at e admi ni s tr at i ve l aw j udge ( A L J ) aw ar ded M . S. s om e of the r el i ef he s ought . Seeki ng fur therr el i ef unde rt he ID E A , M . S . b rou g h t an a cti o n in f ed era l distri ct co u rt . A lth o u g h d istri ct co u rt pr ocee di ngs have y ett o concl ude, the D i s tr i ctC our taw ar ded M . S. partof the r el i ef so u g h t: the D istri ct C o u rto rde red the S ch o o l B o ard s to c o n ti n u e p ay m en ts t o M . S . ’s p riv a te s c h o o l d u rin g th e p e n d e n c yo f th is liti g a tio n . T h is is th e so -c a lled “ sta y -p u t” or der . T he School B oar ds have c om pl i ed w i th the s t ay - putor der , butthe School B oar d of R i vert on has s oughtan i nt er l ocut oryappea l i n an ef for tt o r ecoup f

unds al r eadyexpende d i n compl i ance w i th t he D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s or der . M . S. has s i nce gr aduat ed. Forthe r eas ons w e e x p lain b e lo w , the S c h o o l B o a rd ’s a p p e a l is d ism iss e d f o r la c k o f

a p p e llate ju ri s d ic tio n .3

F act ual B ackground an d P roce dural H i s t ory A s the fa ct s ar e w el l know n t o the part i es , w e gi ve onl ya br i ef de s cr i pt i on of the f a c ts a n d p ro c e d u ra l p o s tu re o f th e c a s e . M . S. att ended the TL C s chool i n C onnect i cutdur i ng 2002- 2003. H i s pl ace m ent ther e w as a dec i s i on of a “ chi l d s tudyt eam. ” A ppar ent l y , thi s as s es s m entw as an in d iv id u a lize d e d u c a tio n p ro g ra m a s s e t o u t in th e ID E A . T h e S c h o o l B o a rd s s o u g h t to have M . S. gr aduat e i n J une 2003, buthi s par ent s ( w ho i ni t i at ed l i t i gat i on) s oughtan addi t i onal y earforM . S. atT L C . M . S. w as gr ant ed i nt er i m r el i ef i n a J une 30, 2003, or der i s s ued bythe A L J . D ue pr oces s hear i ngs w er e hel d and the A L J i s s ued a f i nal or deron D ece m ber16, 2003. T he A L J ’ s fi nal or deraw ar ded M . S. pl ace m entatT L C thr ough the fa ll 2 0 0 3 sem ester, bu t th ere af ter M . S . co u ld f

inish h is l ast rem ainin g co u rse -- ph y sics -- atpubl i c s chool , ther ebyt erm i nat i ng the School B oar ds ’ fi nanci al obl i gat i on for cont i nui ng cos t s atT L C . M . S. appea l ed the A L J ’ s or derbybr i ngi ng a fe der al di s tr i ct c o u rt a c tio n o n J a n u a ry 1 4 , 2 0 0 4 . T h e S c h o o l B o a rd o f R iv e rt o n b ro u g h t a c o u n te rc la im . O n M ay10, 2004, the D i s tr i ctC our ti s s ued a s t ay - putor der , m ai nt ai ni ng the then curr ent e d u c a t i o n a l p l a c e me n ta tTLC a n d a s s i g n i n g th e c o s t s o f M . S. ’ s e d u c a t i o n a tTLC i ncurr ed dur i ng the pende ncyof the l i t i gat i on t o the School B oar ds . I n pr i orbr i efi ng befor e the D i s tr i ctC our t , the School B oar d of R i vert on t ook the pos i t i on thati t s fi nanci al s tr a its w o u ld ju s tif

yth e D is tr ic t C o u rt in d e n y in g M .S . th e s ta y -p u t o rd e r s o u g h t b yM .S . T he D i s tr i ctC our tr ej ect ed thi s ar gum ent . L i t i gat i on on the mer i t s of the cl ai m s and4

count er cl ai m s cont i nue eve n now befor e the D i s tr i ctC our t . N otw i ths t andi ng cont i nui ng D i s tr i ctC our tpr ocee di ngs , the School B oar d fi l ed i t s not i ce of appea l on J une 10, 2004, s e e ki ng i nt e r l oc ut oryr e l i e f wi th r e ga r d t o the D i s tr i c tCour t ’ s s t a y - pu tor de r . M . S. g ra d u a te d in J u n e 2 0 0 4 . St andard of R evi ew and Ju ri s di ct i on A s w e denythe School B oar d al l r el i ef f orl ack of

appel l at e j ur i s di ct i on, w e do not re v iew a n yo f

th e f in d in g s o r p ro c e e d in g s o f th e D istric t C o u rt. O u r a u th o rityto d e te rm in e th e e x te n t o f

o u r o w n ju ri s d ic tio n is p le n a ry. Th e Di s tr i c tCo u r th a d j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r2 8 U. S . C. § 1 3 3 1 a n d I DEA, 2 0 U. S . C. § § 1 4 0 0 e t se q . T h e S c h o o l B o a rd a rg u e s th a t (in ter lo c u to ry ) a p p e llate ju risd ictio n e x ists underthe col l at er al or derdoctr i ne and c i t e thi s court ’ s hol di ng i n Susque ni t a School D is tr ic t v . R a e le e S ., 9 6 F .3 d 7 8 , 8 1 n .4 (3 d C ir . 1 9 9 6 ) a s s u p p o rt . W e di s t i ngui s h the fa ct s of Susque ni t a fr om the ca s e bef or e us . I n Susque ni t a, t he D i s tr i ctC our t , perthe I D E A , or der ed thatR ael ee S. be perm i t t ed t o cont i nue her e d u c a tio n in th e p riv a te s c h o o l sh e h a d b e e n a tten d in g a n d o rd e re d th e sc h o o l d istric t to m a k e p a ym e n ts a g a in s t p ro s p e c tiv e c o s ts . S e e S u s q u e n ita , 9 6 F .3 d a t 8 1 & n .3 . A ddi t i onal l y , the D i s tr i ctC our tor der ed the s chool di s tr i ctt o r ei m bur s e R ael ee S. for cos t s al r eadyi ncurr ed dur i ng 1994- 1995 t erm , w hi ch w as ni nth gr ade f orR ael ee S. T he D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s or derw as fi l ed i n 1995. A ppeal w as t aken a nd w e announc ed our d e c is io n in 1 9 9 6 – f

in d in g ju ri s d ic tio n u n d e r t h e c o lla te ra l o rd e r d o c tr in e . Id . a t 8 1 n .4 .5

A t th a t ti m e , R a e lee S . w o u ld h a v e ju st s tar ted e lev e n th g ra d e . In o th e r w o rd s, b o th R ael ee S. ’ s s ui ton the mer i t s ( s t i l l befor e the D i s tr i ctC our ti n 1996) and the cont i nui ng obl i gat i on of the s chool di s tr i ctt o m ake f ur therorpr os pect i ve paym ent s underthe or der fr om w hi ch the i nt er l ocut oryappea l w as t aken r emai ned l i ve contr over s i es . H ad the s chool di s tr i ctbeen de ni ed i nt er l ocut oryr evi ew unt i l the D i s tr i ctC our ti s s ued i t s fi nal or deron the mer i t s of the I D E A act i on, the s chool di s tr i ct ’ s abi l i tyt o l egal l yt es tthe val i di tyof the s t ay - putor derand t o avoi d the conc om i t antand cont i nui ng fi nanci al o b lig a tio n s w o u ld h a v e b e e n im p o ss ib le. A p p e llate re v iew a t th e ter m in a tio n o f a ll d istric t co u rt p ro c e e d in g s m ig h t im p a ir th e sc h o o l d istric t’s a b ili tyto re c o u p so m e o r a ll o f th e f u n d s itco n ti n u ed to ex p en d in co m p li an ce w ith the s tay -pu t ord er. I n terl o cu tory re v iew h a d th e p o ten tial o f a v o id in g th is re su lt p re c ise lyb e c a u se R a e lee S . w a s s til l in s c h o o l. In the inst ant l i t i gati on , M . S . has al readygradua t ed. T here i s no li ve co ntr ov ers y w i th regard t o R i vert on and P al m yra’ s cont i nui ng fi nanci al obl i gat i ons underthe s t ay - put o rd e r. M .S .’s c laim f

o r p ro sp e c tiv e re lief

is m o o t. C oncl usi on Forthe r eas ons s t at ed above , the School B oar d’ s appea l i s di s m i s s ed forl ack of ju ri s d ic tio n .