5 day forecast
Big Beaver schools accused of special needs failures
Share with others:
A former student of Big Beaver Elementary School and his parents sued the Big Beaver Falls Area School District Thursday, alleging that it refuses to recognize student disabilities.
The child, identified in the complaint as J.P., did well for several years, even enrolling in the gifted program, the lawsuit in U.S. District Court said.
In third grade, the J.P. was harassed by classmates, and was involved in a fight on a bus. Efforts by the parents to have him evaluated for special services met with resistance from the district, according to the suit.
The parents got an evaluation, which showed that J.P. had Asperger's syndrome, a social impairment on the autism spectrum, the complaint said.
The complaint by attorney Jeffrey J. Ruder seeks to be a class action representing students with special needs who were not evaluated by the district. It seeks damages for J.P.'s family and measures by the district to improve staff training and practices.
District superintendent Donna Nugent could not be reached for comment.
First Published January 5, 2013 12:00 am
