Opinion ID: 767903
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Exhaustion Requirement Under the IDEA

Text: 9 The IDEA provides that plaintiffs must exhaust their administrative remedies before bringing suit in federal court to obtain relief that is also available under the IDEA 2 . See Doe v. Smith, 879 F.2d 1340, 1343-44 (6th Cir. 1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1025 (1990); Crocker v. Tennessee Secondary Sch. Athletic Ass'n, 873 F.2d 933, 935-36 (6th Cir. 1989) (Crocker I). Specifically, the statutory language states as follows: 10 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. § 12101 et seq.], title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [29 U.S.C. § 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 (f) and (g) of this section shall be exhausted to the same extent as would be required had the action been brought under this subchapter. 11 20 U.S.C. § 1415(l) 3 . Furthermore, § 1415(i)(2) clearly contemplates that plaintiffs will exhaust their administrative remedies before bringing a civil action to enforce their rights under the IDEA 4 . See Honig v. Doe, 484 U.S. 305, 326-27 (1988) (citing § 1415(e)(2), the predecessor to § 1415(i)(2)); Crocker I, 873 F.2d at 935 (same). 12 Covington argues that her claim does not arise under the IDEA and therefore that exhaustion is not required in her case. Rather, she urges, her complaint concerns abusive behavior that constitutes an independent constitutional violation. We note that some courts have interpreted § 1415 to require the exhaustion of administrative remedies even when the plaintiffs do not rely exclusively on the IDEA as the source of their claims. For example, several courts have held that exhaustion is required when plaintiffs bring § 1983 suits based on violations of the IDEA. See, e.g., N.B. v. Alachua County Sch. Bd., 84 F.3d 1376, 1379 (11th Cir. 1996), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 1092 (1997); Mrs. W. v. Tirozzi, 832 F.2d 748, 756 (2d Cir. 1987); W.L.G. v. Houston County Bd. of Educ., 975 F. Supp. 1317, 1328 (M.D. Ala. 1997). Additionally, some courts have held that whenever a claim falls within the purview of the IDEA - that is, whenever it relates to the provision of afree appropriate public education to a disabled child -exhaustion is required, whether or not the plaintiff characterizes the claim as one arising under the IDEA. See Hayes, 877 F.2d at 813-14; Franklin v. Frid, 7 F. Supp. 2d 920, 922, 925-26 (W.D. Mich. 1998) (concluding that despite allegations of a school official's intentionally humiliating, poking, hitting, slapping, and verbally abusing a student, the gravamen of the claim fell within the purview of the IDEA, requiring exhaustion); Waterman v. Marquette-Alger Intermediate Sch. Dist., 739 F. Supp. 361, 364-65 (W.D. Mich. 1990) (citing Hayes). Hayes, Franklin, and Waterman concluded that complaints concerning the disciplinary practices of a school district relate to the way that the district provides education, and thus necessarily come within the scope of the IDEA 5 . However, because we conclude that exhaustion would be futile in Covington's case, there is no need to address the issues involved in Hayes. Thus, we express no opinion as to whether Covington's complaint falls within the ambit of the IDEA or whether a plaintiff who has stated a claim independent of the IDEA must still utilize the state's administrative process before filing in federal court. For the same reason, we do not reach Covington's equal protection or Seventh Amendment claims. 13 Covington further contends that because the plain language of 20 U.S.C. § 1415(l) requires exhaustion only when the plaintiff seeks relief that is also available under the IDEA, and because general money damages are not available under the IDEA, see Crocker v. Tennessee Secondary Sch. Athletic Ass'n, 980 F.2d 382, 386-87 (6th Cir. 1992) (Crocker II), she was not required to exhaust her administrative remedies. We disagree that the plaintiff's damages claim alone excuses her from exhausting her administrative remedies. Although the Sixth Circuit has not decided the question, 6 most courts have held that a plaintiff seeking money damages is required to exhaust administrative remedies under the IDEA, even if money damages are not available under the IDEA or through the administrative process. See, e.g., Charlie F. v. Board of Educ., 98 F.3d 989, 991-93 (7th Cir. 1996); Doe v. Alfred, 906 F. Supp. 1092, 1098 (S.D.W. Va. 1995) (noting that a clear majority of courts hold exhaustion necessary despite the assertion of a contemporaneous § 1983 claim for damages), appeal dismissed, 79 F.3d 1141 (4th Cir. 1991); Waterman, 739 F. Supp. at 364-66. The rationales for requiringexhaustion even when the plaintiff seeks money damages are that plaintiffs could otherwise circumvent the IDEA's elaborate scheme simply by appending a claim for damages, see Waterman, 739 F. Supp. at 365, and that the administrative process might ultimately afford sufficient relief to the injured party, even if it is not the specific relief that the plaintiff requested, see Charlie F., 98 F.3d at 991-93.