How a Supreme Court ruling could make it harder for disabled students to resolve problems


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."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
Israeli NGOs have started referring to Gaza as a 'genocide' — will it matter?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION For the first time since fighting began in 2023, two Israeli rights groups have described their country's actions in the Gaza Strip as 'genocide' as famine threatens the blockaded Palestinian territory
-
6 classic homes built in the 1950s
Feature Featuring a firehouse-turned-home in Indiana and an award-winning house in Maryland
-
Why is the Democratic Party's favorability rating so low?
Talking Points Voters do not like Republican policies. They like Democrats even less.
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in Gaza
Speed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election