Opinion ID: 3202046
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), 20 U.S.C. § 1400, et seq., “is a comprehensive statute enacted to ensure that all children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education [(“FAPE”)] . . . designed to meet their unique needs.” Assoc. for Cmty. Living in Colo. v. Romer, 992 F.2d 1040, 1042-43 (10th Cir. 1993) (quotation omitted); see also 20 U.S.C. § 1401(9) (describing a FAPE). “To protect each child’s right to a [FAPE], states . . . must establish procedures to ensure that parents have meaningful involvement in decisions concerning their children’s educational programming and an opportunity to seek review of decisions they think are inappropriate.” Assoc. for Cmty. Living, 992 F.2d at 1043. IDEA grants parents of disabled children the right to present a complaint “with respect to any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a [FAPE] to such child.” 20 U.S.C. § 1415(b)(6). “A parent who files a complaint is entitled to an impartial due process hearing conducted by either a state, local, or intermediate educational agency. . . . Parents who are dissatisfied with the state’s decision may bring a civil action in . . . federal court.” Assoc. for Cmty. Living, 992 F.2d at 1043 (quotation omitted); see also 20 U.S.C. § 1415(f) (describing the due process hearing); id. § 1415(i)(2) (providing right to bring a civil action in state or federal court). -2- J.S. is the mother of M.S., a child covered by IDEA. M.S. is a residential student at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (“USDB”). Believing USDB was not complying with IDEA’s procedural requirements and was not providing M.S. with a FAPE, J.S. sought a due process hearing. See 20 U.S.C. § 1415(f). Unsatisfied with the limited relief she obtained in that hearing, J.S. filed a civil action in federal court. See id. § 1415(i)(2). J.S. now appeals from the district court decision granting her additional limited relief. She asserts the district court erred when it (1) delegated its authority to resolve the propriety of M.S.’s residential placement to members of the team tasked with developing M.S.’s individualized education program (“IEP”) 1 and (2) granted her only a partial award of attorneys’ fees. Exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we conclude the district court delegated the issue of M.S.’s residential placement to her IEP team and that such delegation is at odds with 20 U.S.C. § 1415. Thus, we remand this matter to the district court to resolve the issue of M.S.’s residential placement. Our remand makes it unnecessary to resolve the propriety of the district court’s award of partial attorneys’ fees. Nevertheless, we identify legal flaws in the district court’s analysis of a proper fee award that may reoccur on remand. 1 See 20 U.S.C. § 1401(14) (defining IEP); id. § 1414(d) (describing the requirements of an IEP and the duties of an IEP team). -3-