Holding Flagler School District Accountable for Missing Education Services

Reba Johnson is a student living with a variety of mental health-related disabilities, such as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). With the support of her group home staff, Reba contacted Disability Rights Florida for help getting education and special education services. After looking into her concerns, we found a wide range of issues. First, her School District, Flagler County School District, inappropriately changed her school placement to home instruction due to her social-emotional and behavioral needs. This violated her right to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. In addition, the District did not evaluate all of Reba’s needs and, therefore, did not create a comprehensive individualized education plan (IEP) for her. Our staff advocated on Reba’s behalf to get the necessary services and evaluations she needs to be done at an in-person school. Unfortunately, our efforts were met with resistance, so we filed a due process complaint against the District.  After mediation with the District, our staff secured the following services for Reba:   

• Independent education evaluations (IEEs)   
• 1:1 paraprofessional support    
• In-person schooling  

Unfortunately, Flagler County School District failed to comply with the agreement and did not provide Reba with her services, so our staff filed a complaint in federal court to enforce the agreement. The court agreed, and through our advocacy, we helped Reba secure the following supports:   

• In-person schooling   
• 1:1 paraprofessional support   
• A tailored educational program with the necessary behavioral, academic, and transition services    
• Language therapy   
• Mental health counseling   
• Compensatory education services in specialized reading, math, speech, language, and more.   

Finally, we successfully negotiated for the District to pay the fees and costs that we experienced because of having to take the mediation agreement to federal court. We are incredibly glad that Reba has what she needs to attend and thrive in school. All students, no matter their disability, deserve the accommodations, services, and support to attend school.