Opinion ID: 1355189
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Are M.R.D.'s parents entitled to tuition reimbursement?

Text: If the parents of a disabled student unilaterally place their child in a private program pending the outcome of the administrative and judicial review process, the parents may seek retroactive reimbursement for the educational expenses and related services under the IDEA. [25] However, the parents must prove not only that the public education offered violated IDEA, but also that the private school placement would satisfy the requirements of IDEA. [26] This burden is not met when the parents merely establish that the private school placement was superior to the services publicly provided; the parents must prove that the public school was unable to provide the appropriate education. [27] Based on our discussion supra, the holding of the Fayette Circuit Court concluding that M.R.D. had been provided a free and appropriate education was supported by ample evidence in the record and therefore will not be overturned by this Court as clearly erroneous. As M.R.D. failed to establish that the FCBE did not provide him adequate educational programming, we need not discuss whether the GOW School could have provided him a FAPE under the IDEA. Therefore, the decision of the Fayette Circuit Court denying M.R.D.'s parents reimbursement for their expenses is affirmed.