IDEA Issues Getting Ear of High Court

Justices to Decide Whether Parents Allowed to Represent Their Children in Court Cases

By granting review of its third case in two years involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled a renewed interest in resolving legal conflicts arising under the federal law that governs services provided to nearly 6.7 million schoolchildren in special education.

The justices have agreed to consider whether parents who are not lawyers have a right to represent themselves, or their child, in federal court in disputes with school districts over the child’s educational placement.

The high court’s decision in the case may determine whether many low- income parents of children with disabilities have meaningful access to the federal courts, advocates for families say. They cite scarcity of free legal aid and the reluctance of private lawyers to take IDEA cases unless they are very likely to prevail. The law provides for awards of legal fees to the prevailing...