C.G. v. Five Town Community School District., 49 IDELR 93, 513 F.3d 279 (1st Cir. 2008)

In her presentation at the 19th Annual CASE (Counsel for Administrators in Special Education), Julie Weatherly mentioned a case involving private placement. In this particular situation, the parents made a unilateral decision to place their student in a private school while the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)team was still working collaboratively develop and finalize a proposed IEP. Subsequently, they were denied reimbursement for the tuition as they filed their due process complaint before the IEP team process was complete. An independent evaluator was working with the district and IEP team to develop a crisis intervention plan and other positive behavioral supports for the student.
The collaborative nature of the IEP team is at the crux of the development of effective individualized education plans for students with disabilities.