Month: March 2023

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday for a a deaf student who sued his public school system for providing an inadequate education, a significant victory for other disabled students who allege they were failed by school officials.

The attorneys for Miguel Luna Perez, who attended public school in Sturgis, Michigan, told the court that for 12 years the school system neglected the boy and lied to his parents about the progress he was making, stunting his ability to communicate permanently.  The high court justices ruled that after Perez and his family settled a complaint against the school system they could pursue money damages under a different federal law.

Perez emigrated to the United States from Mexico at age 9, and his lawyers say the school system failed him by providing an aide who was not trained to work with deaf students, did not know sign language and in later years left him alone for hours at a time. After over a decade, Perez did not know any formal sign language and communicated through invented signs that anyone unfamiliar with his unique signing did not understand. The school awarded him inflated grades and his parents believed he was on track to earn his high school diploma. Just before graduation, however, his family was told he qualified only for a “certificate of completion.”

Perez’s family pursued claims under two laws: the Americans with Disabilities Act (which prohibits discrimination against disabled people) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (which guarantees children with disabilities a free public education that is tailored to their specific needs). Perez’s family and the school district settled under the IDEA claims, with the district agreeing to pay for extra schooling and sign language instruction for Perez and his family. He graduated from the Michigan School for the deaf in 2020.

Editorial credit: Mehdi Kasumov / Shutterstock.com

The nation’s second-largest school district, based in Los Angeles, shut its doors to 422,000 students Tuesday in support of workers with the Service Employees International Union (“SEIU”) that launched a three-day strike over pay. More than 60,000 Los Angeles Unified School District employees – including school staff and teachers – made good on their promise to strike in response to a breakdown in contract negotiations. Negotiations have dragged on for about a year with more than 95% of union members voting to authorize a strike last month if talks didn’t progress.

The SEIU, which represents some 30,000 support workers including teacher’s aides, cafeteria workers and bus drivers, said many of its members live in poverty because of pay of about $25,000 per year in Los Angeles. Max Arias, executive director of SEIU Local 99, said: “This is what solidarity looks like right here.” Arias said LAUSD failed to bargain in good faith, instead subjecting workers to stress and harassment: “If LAUSD truly values us and he [School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho] is serious about reaching an agreement, they must show workers the respect they deserve. We have had enough of empty promises.”

The union is asking for a 30% raise, and the Los Angeles Unified School District responded by offering what it called a “historic” 23% recurring raise and a 3% cash bonus. The local teacher’s union is also seeking a 20% raise over two years, and its teachers are striking in solidarity with the support workers, essentially forcing schools in the district to close.

Los Angeles Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said at a press conference that his team is available for negotiations: “I made myself available alongside my team for hours [Monday], hoping that we would, in fact, be able to have a conversation for a whole host of reasons, some of which I do not understand. We were never in the same room, or even in the same building.”

Editorial credit: Walter Cicchetti / Shutterstock.com