Sam K. v. Hawaii Dept. of Educ., No. 13-15486 (9th Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CasePlaintiffs, parents of a disabled student, filed suit under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq., seeking reimbursement by the DOE for the costs of attending a private program. The hearing officer denied the request for reimbursement, concluding that it was untimely under Haw. Rev. Stat. 302A-443(a). The district court held, however, that the student's placement by the parents was “bilateral,” not “unilateral,” so that the parents’ request was not untimely, and concluded that the parents were entitled to reimbursement. The court agreed and concluded that the student's family is entitled to reimbursement for the 2010–11 school year because the DOE tacitly consented to his enrollment at the private school program by failing to provide an alternative. The court also affirmed the district court's fee award.
Court Description: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The panel affirmed the district court’s judgment in an action brought by a disabled student under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The panel affirmed the district court’s conclusion that the student’s parents were entitled to reimbursement for the costs of a private school program because this placement was bilateral, not unilateral, and so the parents’ request for reimbursement was timely under the two-year statute of limitations set forth in Haw. Rev. Stat. § 302A-443(a). Distinguishing K.D. v. Dep’t of Educ., 665 F.3d 1110 (9th Cir. 2011), the panel held that the placement was bilateral because the State of Hawaii Department of Education tacitly consented to the student’s placement by failing to propose an alternative. SAM K. V. STATE OF HAWAII DEP’T OF EDUC. 3 Affirming the district court’s award of attorneys’ fees to the student and his parents, the panel held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in reducing the hourly rate requested by counsel. Concurring in part and dissenting in part, Judge Rawlinson agreed with the majority that the district court acted within its discretion in determining a reasonable hourly rate for the calculation of attorneys’ fees. She disagreed with the majority’s holding that the private school placement became bilateral due to implied consent on the part of the Department of Education.
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