OAH Special Education Decisions by Administrative Law Judge Chris Butchko
37 decisions: student prevailed on all issues in 3, split in 15, district prevailed on all issues in 19.
Search and filter these decisions · 105 OAH orders by ALJ Chris Butchko
- Student v. Vista Oaks Charter SchoolVista Oaks Charter School prevails on all five claims, including child find, autism eligibility, assessment, and IEE requests.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Mount Diablo Unified School DistrictMount Diablo Unified must reimburse residential treatment costs for failing to offer residential placement; nine other claims denied.Split decision: student prevailed on 2 of 11 issues
- Student v. Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified must provide 636 hours of compensatory services after flawed IEP process and inadequate physical therapy offer.Split decision: student prevailed on 5 of 7 issues
- Student v. Saugus Union School DistrictSaugus Union School District prevails on all claims that it isolated a first grader at lunch as discipline.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Saugus Union School DistrictSaugus Union did not need a manifestation determination review after a first grader was sent to the office twice; claim denied.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified denied FAPE by not shortening a student's nearly two-hour morning bus ride; 67.5 tutoring hours ordered.Split decision: student prevailed on 1 of 2 issues
- Student v. Stockton Unified School DistrictStockton Unified prevails on all claims about assessments, a 2022 IEP, and IEP team attendance; no relief ordered.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Rosedale Union School District (consolidated)Rosedale Union must fund independent speech and psychoeducational evaluations after holding two IEP meetings without parents; may assess without consent.Split decision: student prevailed on 11 of 14 issues
- Student v. Long Beach Unified School DistrictLong Beach Unified prevails on all seven issues brought on behalf of a seven-year-old with autism; all relief denied.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Santa Barbara Unified School DistrictSanta Barbara Unified wins dismissal of former student's child find claims as barred by the two-year statute of limitations.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School DistrictPlacentia-Yorba Linda Unified's public middle school offer for a student with a learning disability upheld; all relief denied.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified must reimburse $25,705 and later costs for in-home behavior support after denying parent participation and stay put.Student prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Bellflower Unified School DistrictBellflower Unified must reimburse $4,117.20 in private school costs after an IEP with outdated baselines blocked parent participation.Split decision: student prevailed on 1 of 3 issues
- Student v. Bakersfield City School District (consolidated)Bakersfield City must fund two IEEs and compensatory tutoring, counseling and social skills for a kindergartner; mental health assessment upheld.Split decision: student prevailed on 6 of 8 issues
- Student v. Modesto City Schools et al.Modesto City Schools wins dismissal of claims over refused in-home behavior services as barred by two-year statute of limitations.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified wrongly held an IEP meeting without parents who asked to reschedule; ALJ orders compensatory tutoring and staff training.Split decision: student prevailed on 1 of 2 issues
- Student v. Middletown Unified School District (consolidated)Middletown Unified must reimburse Anova private school costs and fund more placement; its cognitive and academic assessments were upheld.Split decision: student prevailed on 5 of 11 issues
- Student v. Saddleback Valley Unified School DistrictSaddleback Valley Unified's May 2018 IEP offered FAPE; parents denied reimbursement for Johnson Academy and private services.District prevailed on all issues
- Capistrano Unified School District v. StudentCapistrano Unified's 2017 triennial assessments were appropriate, so the student gets no publicly funded IEEs; parent did not appear.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Pleasanton Unified School DistrictPleasanton Unified prevails on all claims challenging its 2018-2019 offer for a student attending Fusion Academy.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Manhattan Beach Unified School DistrictManhattan Beach Unified must reimburse $45,221.75 plus further tuition until the next annual IEP for a student's unmet mental health needs.Split decision: student prevailed on 2 of 20 issues (1 in part)
- Student v. San Dieguito Union High School DistrictSan Dieguito Union High School District did not have to hold a manifestation determination before expelling a student who was not in special education.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Colton Joint Unified School DistrictColton Joint Unified must provide a shadow aide, new IEEs, and staff training over bullying and delayed IEE review.Split decision: student prevailed on 2 of 22 issues
- Student v. Southern Kern Unified School DistrictSouthern Kern Unified's manifestation determination reversed; expelled fifth grader with ADHD and emotional disturbance must be reinstated.Student prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Grossmont Union High School DistrictGrossmont Union High prevails: flawed 2015 present levels did not deny FAPE, and support-class pull-outs were not an implementation failure.District prevailed on all issues
- Los Angeles Unified School District v. StudentLos Angeles Unified's 2016 psychoeducational assessment was appropriate; District need not fund independent psychoeducational and academic evaluations.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Newport-Mesa Unified School District (consolidated)Newport-Mesa Unified must fund a psychoeducational IEE and reimburse Prentice School tuition; April 2015 IEP and bullying claims denied.Split decision: student prevailed on 2 of 4 issues
- Student v. Travis Unified School District (consolidated)Travis Unified must reimburse private reading tutoring and fund a new IEE after offering an unknown reading program; four claims denied.Split decision: student prevailed on 1 of 6 issues
- El Rancho Unified School District v. StudentEl Rancho Unified may not assess a student without parent consent because it did not prove the parent received the plan.Student prevailed on all issues
- Student v. San Diego Unified School District (consolidated)San Diego Unified may place an eight-year-old with autism in a moderate/severe special day class over parental objection.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. William S. Hart Union High School DistrictWilliam S. Hart Union High must reimburse $58,010 for residential treatment after refusing to consider placements beyond its own classes.Split decision: student prevailed on 1 of 3 issuesVanaman German LLP represented the student
- Student v. Tehachapi Unified School DistrictTehachapi Unified must provide 105 hours of tutoring for failing to offer home instruction after two surgeries; mobility claims denied.Split decision: student prevailed on 2 of 7 issues
- Student v. Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified prevails: a classmate's sporadic hitting of a kindergartner with autism was not bullying that denied FAPE.District prevailed on all issues
- Student v. Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified did not unnecessarily delay its response to a parent's speech-language IEE request; all relief denied.District prevailed on all issues
- San Diego Unified School District v. StudentSan Diego Unified's two assessments upheld, so no IEEs owed, but its finding that the student is ineligible is not upheld.Split decision: student prevailed on 1 of 3 issues
- Capistrano Unified School District v. StudentCapistrano Unified's case defending its assessments dismissed as moot after Parents withdrew their IEE requests on the hearing day.District prevailed on all issues
- Poway Unified School District v. StudentPoway Unified's psychoeducational and academic assessments upheld; District need not fund independent evaluations for 10-year-old with autism.District prevailed on all issues