The Supreme Court is hearing a case that could affect the lives of disabled students all over the country. Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools (2023) concerns whether a student seeking to sue under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) would need to "exhaust administrative proceedings" for one of the laws before pursuing the other.
The case surrounds 23-year-old deaf student Miguel Perez, who attended a Michigan public school where he was not given a qualified sign-language interpreter. Come time for graduation, the school informed him that he only qualified for a certificate of completion and not a diploma, The Associated Press reports.
In response, Perez sued the school district under IDEA, which guarantees free accommodations from public schools for students with disabilities. The district settled and agreed to pay for extra schooling and sign language classes. Then, the Perez family tried to sue the district in federal court under the ADA seeking monetary damages, which the lower court ruled they couldn't do since he already settled the IDEA and the second lawsuit asks for the same relief.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Biden administration has urged the court to side with the Perez family. Former education officials have also supported Perez saying that the lower court's ruling would make students "forgo speedy relief and waste time, money, and administrative resources." Essentially students would have to decide whether they wanted immediate settlement through IDEA or monetary damages through the ADA.
"[IDEA] clearly wants to get kids like Miguel educational relief as quickly as possible," argues Perez's lawyer Roman Martinez. "That means that when the school district offers you everything you want under the statute, you should be allowed to say yes, without giving up other claims under other statutes."
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records requestSpeed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by TrumpSpeed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank planSpeed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutionalSpeed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for riflesSpeed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBISpeed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summitSpeed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps upSpeed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
