The Young Case 1

The Young Case

Richard Rodriguez
College of Southern Nevada
The Young Case 2

In the Southern United States a principal by the name of Debbie Young rejected a set of

parents who requested to have their son admitted into the school district. Their child is one who

requires many disabilities and constant care. Young’s reasoning was that it would be expensive

and not the most appropriate decision for their child to attend her school.

Let us start from the parents side of the argument. They are have two great cases to

convince their case. They really are in favor of this case because there are many cases with

similar situations in which the students and parents have won. The first case that they could cite

is Cedar Rapids Independent School District v. Garrett F. This court case was in 1999 Garrett

needed constant care because he was quadriplegic the school refused, but in court he won. The

Court ruled that this constant care did not fall under “medical services”, but “related services”.

The second case that they could use is quite recent in fact. In the earlier part of this year

the Supreme Court ruled in Edward F. v. Douglas County School District. Their decision is that a

“minimal” effort is not an appropriate education. This could be applied to our case and the

school will not put the best effort into the education that Jonathan requires. After all the school is

required to provide the related services and an appropriate education for every child.

Now to defend the school I believe they would use principles more than the exact rulings

from court cases the first case will be McLaughlin v. Holt Public Schools. This case took place

in 1999. Basically what happened is that the Court ruled it is okay for a school to find another

suitable setting even if it is outside that school district. This principle applied in our case that

Young's school simply cannot provide the newly required education at her school. She could say

that she has found another suitable setting for a Jonathan.

The Young Case 3

The second case is Beth B. v. Van Clay which took place in 2000. Beth was a student

with disabilities she was placed in a regular class and was there until fifth grade but once sixth

grade came around the school put her on an IEP course. Her parents disagreed towards this

action. The Court ruled in favor of the school due to their “expertise in such matters”. Young is a

very experienced disability teacher her experience and expertise should be taken into account in

this situation.

In closing I believe that Young may win this case if she takes a certain position. This

position is simply that her school is not fit for someone who needs all the care that Jonathan will

need to receive for his fair and equal education like the others. Her many years as a special

educator would be proved quite useful here. If she could even provide other solutions to the

problem her chances would be higher.

 The Young Case 4

References

Beth B. v. Van Clay, 126 F. Supp. 2d 532 (N.D. Ill. 2000). (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2017, from

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/126/532/2504866/

Kamenetz, A., & Turner, C. (2017, March 22). The Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of A Special Education Student.

Retrieved October 13, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/03/22/521094752/the-

supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-a-special-education-student

McLaughlin v. BOARD OF EDUC., HOLT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 133 F. Supp. 2d 994 (W.D. Mich. 2001). (n.d.).

Retrieved October 13, 2017, from https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-

courts/FSupp2/133/994/2292901/

Osborne, A. G. (n.d.). Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F. Retrieved October 13, 2017, from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cedar-Rapids-Community-School-District-v-Garret-F

Underwood, J., Webb, D. L.(2006). School Law For Teachers: Concepts and Applications. Upper Sadle

River, New Jersey and Columbus, Ohio: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.