KS and CS obo JS v. Hopewell Valley Board of Education 2015 WL 9595322
Dec 21, 2015OUTCOME: Won after trial
The case concerned the unilateral placement of a student with autism at the Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI), a state-approved private, non-profit school for the education of children with ... autism. After approximately 30 days of trial which took place from April 2013 – January 2015, the Court ruled in favor of the family. Among other things, the Court held that the District failed to offer (i) a free and appropriate education (FAPE) to the student; and (ii) an IEP that was reasonably calculated to enable the student to receive a meaningful educational benefit. The Court further held that, contrary to the District’s claim, the student did not make meaningful progress while in the District’s program. Finally, the Court found that (i) PCDI was an appropriate placement for the student; and (ii) the parents were entitled to reimbursement for the unilateral placement of their child at PCDI.
