Jun 24, 2014
Students with disabilities who need extended school year (ESY) are entitled to receive those services in the least restrictive environment. This is true even if the school district does not offer a summer program to students without disabilities. In T.M. by A.M. v. Cornwall Central School District, 63 IDELR 31 (2d Cir. 2014), the 2d Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that least restrictive environment applies equally to extended school year and school districts must offer a continuum of educational placements for extended school year services. This case involved a 6 year old boy with autism who made progress in his general education kindergarten class. In fact, he was mainstreamed for all of his kindergarten classes and was provided significant supports to successfully integrate him in the general education program. He was determined eligible for extended school year services in the summer, but the summer programs offered by the district only served students with disabilities. The parents rejected the segregated programs offered by the school district and enrolled their son in a mainstreamed private school program. The parents also requested a due process hearing regarding the failure of the district to offer a mainstreamed summer program.
The impartial hearing officer determined that, since the school district was not required to offer a summer program for students without disabilities, it was not required to offer a mainstreamed extended school year program for this child. The parents appealed to federal district court and the district court ruled for the school district that it did not have to provide a mainstreamed summer program.
The Court of Appeals overruled the district court noting that extended school year services are an essential program component for students who require year round services to prevent substantial regression. The Court stated that: "Under the IDEA least restrictive environment refers to the least restrictive environment consistent with the student's needs, not the least restrictive environment that the school district chooses to make available." Thus, districts must ensure that they have a range of educational settings available for extended school year placements. If a district does not offer a mainstream ESY program, it can still make a continuum available by considering a private summer program or a mainstream ESY program offered by another public entity. In the case at hand, the school district was ordered to reimburse the parents for the costs of the mainstreamed private summer program where they had placed their son.
