Parents of a handicapped girl in a Berks County school district has filed a lawsuit against the entity to recoup attorneys’ fees and costs under the federal government’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
S.L. and T.L., on behalf of S.R.L., as stated in the lawsuit, filed the court papers Aug. 20 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against the Exeter Township School District, citing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A hearing officer in the Office of Dispute Resolution on June 2 ordered the school district to reimburse the plaintiffs for the private school placement and transportation for the 2014-2015 school year and the cost of independent education evaluations.
The action was in response to the plaintiffs alleging that the school district denied their daughter a free appropriate public education. Following the hearing, the plaintiffs and the school district negotiated a settlement agreement and release, which was approved by the board of education, the complaint states.
Nevertheless, according to the claim, the school district refused to pay the plaintiffs’ reasonable attorneys fees arising out of the hearing.
The plaintiffs are represented by Nicole Reimann and Leah Snyder Batchis of Batchis and Nestle LLC in Bala Cynwyd.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 5:15-cv-04740-JFL