T.K. v. New York City Department of Education

14-3078

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT _________________

T.K., S.K., individually and on behalf of L.K.,

Plaintiffs-Appellees

v.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,

Defendant-Appellant ________________

ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

_________________

BRIEF OF THE UNITED STATES AS AMICUS CURIAE

SUPPORTING APPELLEES

_________________

JAMES COLE, JR. General Counsel

VANITA GUPTA Acting Assistant Attorney General

FRANCISCO LOPEZ VANESSA SANTOS MICHELLE TUCKER

Attorneys U.S. Department of Education Office of General Counsel 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20202

MARK L. GROSS JENNIFER LEVIN EICHHORN

Attorneys U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Appellate Section

Ben Franklin Station

P.O. Box 14403

Washington, D.C. 20044-4403 (202) 305-0025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES ..................................................................1

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE.................................................................................2

STATEMENT OF THE CASE..................................................................................2

1. The IDEA And ED's Guidance..............................................................2

2. Factual Background ..............................................................................6

3. Procedural History..............................................................................10

4. The 2014 District Court Opinion ........................................................10

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ...............................................................................12

ARGUMENT

THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S REFUSAL TO DISCUSS

BULLYING AND ITS EFFECTS ON L.K. VIOLATED

THE IDEA .....................................................................................................13

A. Standard Of Review.............................................................................13

B. Procedural Denials And Substantive Failure In Devising

An IEP May Deny A FAPE .................................................................13

C. An IEP Must Address Academic And Nonacademic

Development, As Appropriate .............................................................18

D. Serious Bullying And Its Effects Are A Required Topic

To Discuss At An IEP Meeting When Parents Make A

Reasonable Request.............................................................................19

1. The Interrelationship Of Student-On-Student Bullying,

Harassment And A FAPE..........................................................20

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued):

PAGE

E. The District's Failure To Discuss Serious Bullying

With L.K.'s Parents Violated The IDEA .............................................26

F. In Determining Whether Bullying And Its Effects

Denied L.K. A FAPE, The Court Must Assess Evidence

Of L.K.'s Academic And Nonacademic Advancement And

Regression, And Consider Whether The Proposed IEP

Adequately Addressed Those Issues....................................................29

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................31

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

- ii

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

CASES:

PAGE

Amanda J. v. Clark Cnty. Sch. Sys., 267 F.3d 877 (9th Cir. 2001) ..................passim

Auer v. Robbins, 519 U.S. 452 (1997).....................................................................20

Board of Educ. v. Rowley, 458 U.S. 176 (1982)......................................................14

C.F. v. New York City Dep't of Educ., 746 F.3d 68 (2d Cir. 2014) .................passim

Chase Bank USA, N.A. v. McCoy, 562 U.S. 195 (2011) ...................................20, 26

Davis v. Monroe Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 526 U.S. 629 (1999) .....................................24

Deal v. Hamilton Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 392 F.3d 840 (6th Cir. 2004),

cert. denied, 546 U.S. 936 (2005).................................................16-17, 27-28

Florence Cnty. Sch. Dist. Four v. Carter, 510 U.S. 7 (1993) ........................... 13-14

Honig v. Doe, 484 U.S. 305 (1988) .........................................................................20

M.H. v. New York City Dep't of Educ., 685 F.3d 217 (2d Cir. 2012) ..............passim

Mrs. B. v. Milford Bd. of Educ., 103 F.3d 1114 (2d Cir. 1997) ..............................14

M.W. v. New York City Dep't of Educ., 725 F.3d 131 (2d Cir. 2013).....................13

R.E. v. New York City Dep't of Educ., 694 F.3d 167 (2d Cir. 2012),

cert. denied, 133 S. Ct. 2802 (2013).......................................................passim

School Comm. of Burlington v. Department of Educ., 471 U.S. 359 (1985) ......5, 14

Taylor v. Vermont Dep't of Educ., 313 F.3d 768 (2d Cir. 2002) ......................20, 26

T.K. v. New York City Dep't of Educ., 779 F. Supp. 2d 289

(E.D.N.Y. 2011).............................................................................................11

Zeno v. Pine Plains Cent. Sch. Dist., 702 F.3d 655 (2d Cir. 2012).........................24

- iii

STATUTES:

PAGE

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. .....................................................................................2

20 U.S.C. 1400(d)(1)(A)............................................................................3, 18

20 U.S.C. 1401(3)(A) ......................................................................................3

20 U.S.C. 1401(9)(D) ................................................................................3, 14

20 U.S.C. 1401(29)........................................................................................25

20 U.S.C. 1406.................................................................................................2

20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(1) .......................................................................................3

20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(1)(C)(ii) .............................................................................5

20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(10)(B) ................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1414(c)(1)(A)(i) ............................................................................16

20 U.S.C. 1414(c)(1)(B) ..................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1414(c)(3)(A)(ii).............................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1414(c)(4)(A)(ii)(III) ......................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(A)......................................................................3, 18, 30

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(IV)............................................................... 25-26

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(B)........................................................................ 3-4, 16

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(B)(i) ......................................................................12, 16

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(2)(A)..................................................................................3

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3) .....................................................................................16

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3)(A)(ii).......................................................................4, 16

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3)(B)(i) ........................................................................9, 18

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(4) ...............................................................................20, 25

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(4)(A).........................................................................passim

20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(4)(A)(ii)(III) ......................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1415.................................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1415(a) ............................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1415(b)(3) .......................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1415(b)(6)(A)..................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1415(c)(2) .......................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1415(f)-(i) .......................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1415(f)(3)(E)(ii).....................................................................passim

20 U.S.C. 1415(i)(2)(A) ..................................................................................4

20 U.S.C. 1416(e)(2)-(3) .................................................................................2

20 U.S.C. 1417.................................................................................................2

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq. ...............23

- iv

STATUTES (continued):

PAGE

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq...........................23

REGULATIONS:

34 C.F.R. 300.17(d) .................................................................................................14

34 C.F.R. 300.101(c)(1)...........................................................................................18

34 C.F.R. 300.145-147...............................................................................................4

34 C.F.R. 300.320(a)(4)...........................................................................................26

34 C.F.R. 300.324(a)(1)(ii) ......................................................................................16

34 C.F.R. 300.324(a)(4)...........................................................................................28

34 C.F.R. 300.324(b)(1).............................................................................................3

34 C.F.R. 300.324(b)(1)(ii)(C) ..........................................................................16, 28

34 C.F.R. 300.513(a)(2).....................................................................................15, 27

34 C.F.R. Pt. 300, App. A (2006) ........................................................................3, 27

Final Rule, IDEA Parts B and C,

64 Fed. Reg. 12,581 (Mar. 12, 1999) ............................................................27

RULES:

Fed. R. App. P. 29(a) .................................................................................................1

MISCELLANEOUS:

Interactive Autism Network Research Report: Bullying And Children

With ASD, Rev. Oct. 7, 2014, available at iancommunity.

org/print/13429 ..............................................................................................22

-v

MISCELLANEOUS (continued):

PAGE

Letter to Anonymous, 60 IDELR 47 (Feb. 29, 2012), available at

www2.policy/speced/guid/idea/letters/2012-1/

redacted022912fape1q2012.doc ....................................................................19

Letter to Anonymous, 55 IDELR 172 (Jan. 13, 2010),

. ..............................3, 19

Letter to Slatkin, 213 IDELR 128 (Apr. 15, 1988) ..................................................27

Office for Civil Rights, Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on Harassment

and Bullying (Oct. 26, 2010), www2.about/offices/list/

ocr/letters/colleague-201010.pdf ...............................................................5, 21

Office for Civil Rights, DCL on Section 504 and Bullying of Students

with Disabilities (Oct. 21, 2014),

offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-bullying-201410.pdf ...........................passim

Office for Civil Rights and Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services, DCL on Prohibited Disability

Harassment (July 25, 2000), available at

www2.about/offices/list/ocr/docs/disabharassltr.html. ...........5, 20, 22

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, DCL

on Bullying and the IDEA (August 20, 2013),



bullyingdcl-8-20-13.pdf..........................................................................passim

- vi

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT

_________________

No. 14-3078

T.K., S.K., individually and on behalf of L.K.,

Plaintiffs-Appellees

v.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,

Defendant-Appellant _________________

ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

_________________

BRIEF OF THE UNITED STATES AS AMICUS CURIAE

SUPPORTING APPELLEES

_________________

INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES

The United States files this brief pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate

Procedure 29(a).

This case addresses the relationship between a school district's obligations

to respond to student-on-student bullying of a child with a disability and to ensure

that the student receives the free appropriate public education (FAPE) required

under the IDEA. The United States Department of Education (ED) has issued

guidance interpreting Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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