Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/746/1161/30491/
Timestamp: 2020-05-25 02:54:03
Document Index: 642659222

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1401', '§ 794', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1415', '§ 1415', '§ 794', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 794']

Amy Austin, et al., Plaintiffs-appellants, v. Brown Local School District, et al., Defendants-appellees, 746 F.2d 1161 (6th Cir. 1984) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Sixth Circuit › 1984 › Amy Austin, et al., Plaintiffs-appellants, v. Brown Local School District, et al., Defendants-appell...
Amy Austin, et al., Plaintiffs-appellants, v. Brown Local School District, et al., Defendants-appellees, 746 F.2d 1161 (6th Cir. 1984)
US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit - 746 F.2d 1161 (6th Cir. 1984) Argued July 16, 1984. Decided Oct. 25, 1984
This case concerns the relationship among the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EAHCA), 20 U.S.C. § 1401 et seq. (1976), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794 (1976) and section 1 of the Civil Rights Act of 1871, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1976), as they pertain to the education of a handicapped child. The specific question for decision is whether the district court committed reversible error in dismissing claims under Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 upon determining that these claims were based upon an alleged failure to provide a "free appropriate public education" as required by the EAHCA and that the EAHCA provided the sole remedy for such failure. We hold that the district court properly dismissed the Sec. 504 and Sec. 1983 claims and, accordingly, its judgment is affirmed.
The Austins again became dissatisfied with the program because they believed Amy's scholastic, communications and behavioral skills deteriorated further. During 1979-80, however, they apparently did not complain directly to the Brown district officials. When Amy returned to the Lathrop School in September 1980 a new teacher was assigned to her class. During the fall a series of incidents occurred which her parents contended caused further regression. On November 17, 1980 the Austins filed for an impartial due process hearing regarding the appropriateness of Amy's placement, as provided for by Ohio law, Ohio Rev.Code Ann. Sec. 3323.05(E) Page (1980), and by the EAHCA, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(c) (1976). The Austins continued to be dissatisfied with the Lathrop School program and withdrew Amy from the program in January 1981.
The plaintiffs instituted this action in December 1981 after the defendant State of Ohio Board of Education determined that Amy was being provided a "free appropriate public education" in accordance with federal and state law. The complaint sought judicial review of the state's finding pursuant to Sec. 615 of the EAHCA, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(e) (2) (1976). It also claimed the right to relief based upon Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794 (1976), and the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment, enforceable through 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The Austins prayed for a declaratory judgment, an injunctive order requiring defendants to provide Amy a free appropriate public education, compensatory and punitive damages, costs and attorney fees. There were other claims which are not involved in this appeal.
In their complaint the plaintiffs sought relief under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for the same wrongs allegedly suffered by reason of the defendants' failure to comply with the requirements of the EAHCA. In Smith v. Robinson, --- U.S. ----, 104 S. Ct. 3457, 82 L. Ed. 2d 746 (1984), the Supreme Court dealt with a claim for attorney's fees in a case where the plaintiffs combined claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 with claims under the EAHCA and Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794. The Court held that a handicapped child and the child's parents could not rely on both the EAHCA and Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in an action for alleged failure to provide a free appropriate public education.
Id. 104 S. Ct. at 3473. In another case decided the same day as Smith, the Supreme Court referred to that decision and stated: "Sec. 504 is inapplicable when relief is available under the Education of the Handicapped Act [EAHCA] to remedy a denial of educational services." Irving Independent School District v. Tatro, --- U.S. ----, 104 S. Ct. 3371, 3379, 82 L. Ed. 2d 664 (1984).
In the course of its opinion in Smith the Supreme Court also disposed of another issue raised by the plaintiffs in this action. It held that the plaintiffs could not base a claim under Sec. 1983 that a handicapped child has been denied equal protection of the law on failure of school authorities to provide a free appropriate public education. The Court concluded that Congress intended the EAHCA to be "the exclusive avenue through which a plaintiff may assert an equal protection claim to a publicly financed special education." 104 S. Ct. at 3468. Justice Blackmun wrote for the Court:
While the Supreme Court has ruled out the use of Sec. 1983 to remedy alleged equal protection violations in this type case, it has left open the possibility of pursuing an independent due process claim. In a footnote Justice Blackmun wrote, "On the other hand, unlike an independent equal protection claim, maintenance of an independent due process challenge to state procedures would not be inconsistent with the [EAHCA's] comprehensive scheme." 104 S. Ct. at 3470-71. However, since we conclude that no due process claim was presented as an independent challenge in this case, we have no occasion to decide here the requirements of such a claim.
The district court did not err in granting partial summary judgment dismissing all non-EAHCA claims. The Sec. 1983 claims, as pled and argued in the district court, did not identify an independent due process violation based on infringement of Amy's liberty interest. Rather, relying on Maine v. Thiboutot, 448 U.S. 1, 100 S. Ct. 2502, 65 L. Ed. 2d 555 (1980), the plaintiffs argued that the defendants violated Sec. 1983 by failing to obey the commands of two federal statutes, the EAHCA and the Rehabilitation Act. The district court correctly held that the plaintiffs could not circumvent the procedural requirements of the two comprehensive statutes dealing with handicapped individuals by going directly into federal court under Sec. 1983 to obtain an adjudication that Amy had been denied the benefits of those statutes. This was one of the clear holdings of Smith v. Robinson.