Disability Rights Today Episode 8: Perez v Sturgis Public Schools

For more information, resources, transcripts visit http://disabilityrightstoday.org/episodes/episode-8/ On March 21, 2023, the United States Supreme Court in Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools unanimously decided that individuals who have entered into a settlement resolving their claims under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), can also pursue claims for money damages against school districts under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) without exhausting the administrative process under IDEA. This decision reverses a decision made by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Our guest is Ellen Saideman, a Rhode Island attorney who focuses much of her practice on the educational rights of students with disabilities and their families. In Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools, Ms. Saideman represented Mr. Miguel Luna Perez, a Deaf student, in his 6th Circuit Court of Appeals case against the Sturgis Public School system in Michigan. Our host for this podcast is Dr. Peter Blanck, Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. Ms. Saideman and Dr. Blanck discuss how the Court’s decision in Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools will affect the rights of students with disabilities under the ADA and IDEA. They will also explain how a similar U.S. Supreme Court case in 2017, Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, paved the way for the Perez v. Sturgis decision.