Opinion ID: 1385412
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The IDEA's Exhaustion Requirement

Text: In this court, appellants assert various infringements by appellees of John, Jr.'s rights under the ADA, Section 504 and § 1983. They essentially allege federal question jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331, which provides that district courts have original jurisdiction over claims that arise under the Constitution or the laws of the United States. Appellants' right to judicial relief does depend ultimately on the construction of these federal statutes, but appellees' first argument requires us to consider whether we are barred from considering them at all at this time if the IDEA applies. [2] See Br. of Appellees at 26. The district court carefully summarized the statutory framework and, we see little purpose in reiterating its analysis. Cave, 480 F.Supp.2d at 633-36. We highlight here only some essential points. The IDEA's central mandate is to provide disabled students with a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment suitable for their needs. Heldman ex rel. v. Sobol, 962 F.2d 148, 150 (2d Cir.1992). Under the educational scheme of the IDEA (previously known as the Education of the Handicapped Act), parents of students with disabling conditions are guaranteed both an opportunity for meaningful input into all decisions affecting their child's education and the right to seek review of any decisions they think inappropriate. Honig v. Doe, 484 U.S. 305, 311-12, 108 S.Ct. 592, 98 L.Ed.2d 686 (1988). Parents are specifically entitled to request a due process hearing in order to present complaints as to any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(b)(6)(A); see also id. § 1415(f)(1)(A), (g) and (h) (delineating procedural safeguards to be accorded to parties filing a complaint and their right to seek review through local and state administrative avenues). New York has opted for a two-tier administrative system for review of IEPs. First, an impartial hearing officer is selected from a list of certified officers and appointed by the local board of education or the competent state agency to conduct the initial hearing and issue a written decision. That decision can then be appealed to a state review officer of the New York Education Department. Heldman, 962 F.2d at 152 (citing N.Y. Educ. Law § 4404(1)-(2)). Only after exhaustion of these procedures has an aggrieved party the right to file a suit in a federal or state court. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(2)(A). The parties do not dispute this requirement. Failure to exhaust the administrative remedies deprives the court of subject matter jurisdiction. Polera v. Bd. of Educ. of Newburgh Enlarged City Sch. Dist., 288 F.3d 478, 483 (2d. Cir.2002) (citing Hope v. Cortines, 69 F.3d 687, 688 (2d Cir.1995)). The purpose of the exhaustion rule is to channel disputes related to the education of disabled children into an administrative process that could apply administrators' expertise in the area and promptly resolve grievances. Id. at 487; see also Heldman, 962 F.2d at 159 (pointing out that exhaustion permits an agency to bring its expertise to bear on a problem as well as to correct its own mistakes). Importantly, complainants must overcome this significant procedural hurdle not only when they wish to file a suit under the IDEA itself, but also whenever they assert claims for relief available under the IDEA, regardless of the statutory basis of their complaint. The IDEA explicitly provides: Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to restrict or limit the rights, procedures, and remedies available under the Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq.], title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [29 U.S.C.A. § 791 et seq.], or other Federal laws protecting the rights of children with disabilities, except that before the filing of a civil action under such laws seeking relief that is also available under this subchapter, the procedures under subsections (P and (g) of this section shall be exhausted to the same extent as would be required had the action been brought under this subchapter. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(1) (emphasis added). Since appellants do not contest that they have failed to exhaust the IDEA's administrative remedies; the question we must answer is simply whether they were required to do so before filing this lawsuit.