WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on June 12 unanimously sided with a disabled student trying to sue her school for not doing enough to accommodate her rare form of epilepsy, a decision that could make it easier for families to seek damages under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The justices said a lower court used the wrong standard when rejecting the discrimination lawsuit.
And the court rejected an argument from the school that would have raised the bar for all victims of disability discrimination even outside of educational instruction claims.
The case, A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, was being closely watched by disability rights groups who say the courts have created a “nearly insurmountable barrier” for help sought by schoolchildren and their families.
But school officials across the country worry that making lawsuits easier to win will create a more adversarial relationship between parents and schools in the difficult negotiations needed to balance a student’s needs with a school’s limited resources.
