High Court Hears Special Education Case

The U.S. Supreme Court today heard a case that is expected to further flesh out the circumstances under which a parent can seek reimbursement from the public schools for the private education of a student with disabilities.

At issue in Forest Grove School District v. T.A. (Case No. 08-305) is whether a student who never received special education services from a public school system may, nevertheless, be entitled to be paid back by that district for the costs of enrolling in a private school in order to receive such services.

A lawyer for the 6,000-student Forest Grove school district, near Portland, Ore., told the justices that the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act bars such reimbursement, pointing to provisions added to the law...