Opinion ID: 430978
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Import of the Absence of Evaluative Data

Text: 19 The administrative record presented to the district court reflected that there was no psychological or educational testing of Scott after May 1977, and thus no relevant evaluation of Scott for the period for which Dubois seeks reimbursement of transportation costs. The district court termed the administrative record incomplete and concluded that Dubois had failed to exhaust her administrative remedies. While we might agree that Dubois had failed--because of the absence of evaluative data--to establish her right to reimbursement, we do not agree that the administrative remedies were not exhausted. 20 It is established that under normal circumstances a parent dissatisfied with a special placement decision of a school system must pursue the administrative remedies provided by the Act before bringing a court action under the Act. Section 1415 of EHA requires participating states to observe certain procedures for classifying children as handicapped and giving parents or guardians an opportunity to present complaints to the local school system. 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1415(b)(1)(E). After receipt of a complaint, the local system or the state must conduct a formal hearing, and any party aggrieved by the findings and decision rendered in such a hearing may appeal to the State educational agency which shall conduct an impartial review of such hearing. 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1415(c). Section 1415(e)(2) provides that any party aggrieved by the result of the appeal to the state educational agency, or, if such an appeal is not required, by the result of the administrative hearing, may bring a civil action in state or federal court, and that the court shall receive the records of the administrative proceedings, shall hear additional evidence at the request of a party, and, basing its decision on the preponderance of the evidence, shall grant such relief as the court determines is appropriate. In Riley v. Ambach, 668 F.2d 635, 640 (2d Cir.1981), we recognized that the state administrative procedures must be exhausted before an action under 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1415(e) may be considered on the merits. See Quackenbush v. Johnson City School District, 716 F.2d 141, 146 (2d Cir.1983). 21 We agree with the district judge's assessment that the administrative record is incomplete, in the sense that it lacks the data necessary to reach a finding that Scott was a handicapped child. The absence of the necessary data, however, does not mean that the proper administrative route was not followed by Dubois. Dubois took all of the procedural steps envisioned by the Act: she applied to the Board for transportation costs; when the Board refused to pay those costs, she requested an administrative review of the decision; when the Board reaffirmed its decision, she appealed to the Department; when the Department rejected her claim for those costs, she unsuccessfully petitioned for rehearing. The January 1981 decision by the Department's hearing officer was definitive and final. It ruled that the Board was not liable for Scott's transportation costs, and it left no further administrative steps for Dubois to take. 4 See 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1415(e)(1); Quackenbush v. Johnson City School District, supra, 716 F.2d at 146. That the decision was based on the fact that the absence of crucial data made it impossible to rule in Dubois's favor goes to the merits of her claim, not to exhaustion. 22 We do not view this ruling as in any way disadvantaging the school system in an EHA case. If a final administrative decision has been rendered, it will be reviewed on its merits, and the teaching of Rowley is that due weight must be given to the administrative proceedings. 458 U.S. at 206, 102 S.Ct. at 3051. If, as appears here, the absence of any data that would have permitted a ruling that Scott was a handicapped child was not for lack of effort on the part of the defendants, 5 the defendants are entitled to have the Department's January 1981 decision upheld on its merits. 6