Opinion ID: 2659363
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Appropriateness of Placement at OLA

Text: The first issue we must address is the appropriateness of S.L.’s placement at OLA. Applicable law provides that: 8 S.L. V. UPLAND UNIFIED SCH. DIST. If the parents of a child with a disability . . . enroll the child in a private . . . school without the consent of or referral by the public agency, a court or a hearing officer may require the agency to reimburse the parents for the cost of that enrollment if the court or hearing officer finds that the agency had not made FAPE available to the child in a timely manner prior to that enrollment and that the private placement is appropriate. 34 C.F.R. § 300.148(c); see also 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(10)(C)(ii). OAH found that the districts denied S.L. a FAPE for the 2007/2008 school year when they failed to comply with a previous settlement agreement’s assessment requirements. The district court affirmed that decision, and it is not part of this appeal. The “appropriateness” analysis is more complicated. In evaluating whether a placement is appropriate: parents need not show that a private placement furnishes every special service necessary to maximize their child’s potential. They need only demonstrate that the placement provides educational instruction specially designed to meet the unique needs of a handicapped child, supported by such services as are necessary to permit the child to benefit from instruction. C.B., 635 F.3d at 1159 (emphasis omitted) (quoting Frank G. v. Bd. of Educ., 459 F.3d 356, 365 (2d Cir. 2006)). S.L. V. UPLAND UNIFIED SCH. DIST. 9 The districts argue that, although S.L. received educational benefit from her private aides, OLA did not provide S.L. with a sufficiently individualized educational benefit. But OLA did provide S.L. with instructional materials and curriculum, structure, support, and socialization. It also gave S.L. an accommodations plan under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which provided her with extra study time and testing accommodations, and it allowed her to have a one-on-one aide in class, to be tardy to school and leave school early in order to receive special education services, and to be absent for medical appointments and other health reasons.3 OLA followed the state-approved curriculum, and both private aides indicated that they followed that curriculum as presented by the classroom teacher when working with S.L. The aides furnished significant additional one-on-one assistance to S.L., but S.L.’s classroom teacher provided the testing materials and graded S.L.’s tests, which were the same tests given to the rest of the class. S.L.’s classroom teacher also testified that S.L. became more socially involved with other students as the school year progressed, and there was evidence that S.L., with the assistance of aides, received good grades and was promoted to fifth grade. So, while S.L.’s private aides played a major role in S.L.’s education, they did so in the broader context of a supportive school environment, using OLA’s educational materials. S.L. benefitted from the instruction she received at OLA. 3 The accommodation of S.L.’s two private instructional aides was particularly important, given that the districts have never indicated that they would have accepted the privately-funded aides in a public school setting. 10 S.L. V. UPLAND UNIFIED SCH. DIST. Additionally, while the placement at OLA was less than perfect, we are mindful that the OAH found the districts denied S.L. a FAPE by failing to complete the agreed-upon assessments that were intended to ensure an appropriate placement for the 2007/2008 school year. The placement chosen by the mother, under these circumstances, was not unreasonable or inappropriate. As such, S.L. should be reimbursed for the cost of tuition, $4,010.00.