Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Deaf Student's Legal Battle Against School

• The Supreme Court rules in favor of a deaf student in his legal battle against his school
• The student, Miguel Perez, claims profound lapses in his education
• The Perez family is seeking monetary compensation under ADA

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of a deaf student who filed a lawsuit against his school for damages over what he claims are profound lapses in his education.

The case is something that experts are saying could give parents of students with disabilities additional leverage when they negotiate for their kids' education. The deaf student was identified as Miguel Perez, who enrolled in the Sturgis Public School District in Michigan when he was nine.

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Deaf Student

At the time, he had brought home As and Bs on his report cards for more than ten years. However, months before his graduation, Perez's parents discovered that he would not be able to receive a diploma and that aides that his school assigned to him did not even know sign language.

While the legal question the case raises is entirely technical, its outcome "holds consequences" not only for Perez but for many kids with disabilities and their parents. The remarks were made by Justice Neil Gorsuch following the unanimous vote of the court, as per USA Today.

The case involves the interplay between two separate federal laws, the first of which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the second is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The main issue was whether or not students could sue a school for damages under ADA if they have yet to exhaust the administrative process that the IDEA requires.

The unanimous decision made by the Supreme Court on Tuesday showed that justices ruled in favor of Perez, saying that he did not need to exhaust the IDEA's requirements before filing a lawsuit for damages under the second law in question.

The court's decision could support parents and schools to clarify one piece of a byzantine puzzle of laws that address the country's 7.2 million special education students.

Seeking Monetary Compensation for Lapses in Education

Gorsuch's reading of the court's decision added that nothing in IDEA prevented Perez from filing an ADA lawsuit against his school. The legal battle comes as the filers' family argued that some of the aides that the school hired were either absent or unqualified, according to the Washington Post.

The parents also claim that the school district unfairly inflated their son's academic progress, making them believe their child was on track to graduate. After finding out that Perez would not be able to graduate, they filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Education.

The lawsuit alleged that Sturgis failed to perform its duties under IDEA and other relevant laws. Before an administrative hearing, the two parties reached a settlement where the school promised to provide Perez with all the forward-looking equitable relief he sought, which involved additional schooling at the Michigan School for the Deaf.

In an emailed statement, Perez's lawyer, Roman Martinez, said their side was thrilled with the Supreme Court's favorable ruling. He noted that the Perez family would continue to pursue their legal claims under ADA, said CBS news.