Montana student with disabilities was moved to basement, denied education, lawsuit claims [View all]

A teenage boy with disabilities in a rural Montana school district was segregated from other students, moved to a church basement and told to do things like watch DVDs or sort nuts and bolts instead of receiving adequate educational services, according to a lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Montana.

The 16-year-old student was allegedly segregated for several months before he was removed from school entirely.

A complaint filed last week in Lewis and Clark County District Court states the student, who is referred to as R.C., hasn't received any formal education in three years. Because the student goes to school in a rural part of Montana, the school district is also unnamed in court documents to avoid revealing his identity.

“I don’t know if the state has ever been faced with a case where a district wholly excluded a student,” Tal Goldin, an attorney for Disability Rights Montana, said. “It’s particularly egregious at the district level, but it’s equally egregious that the state of Montana knows about that and fails to act.”

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana-student-with-disabilities-was-moved-to-basement-denied-education/article_8e7334f3-a643-5083-b08e-904d9639b0ca.html