Justices Affirm Special Ed. Rule in Centennial School District Case (MN)

October 8, 2010

Special education services must be offered to students for extracurricular activities, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, in a case stemming from a complaint by the parents of a fifth-grader in the Centennial School District in Circle Pines.

The court’s ruling upheld a decision by the state Department of Education in the matter.

"All children deserve the opportunity to get the most out of their educational experience, and that includes after-school activities," Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said in a statement. "We are pleased the court rejected the narrow reading of federal law put forth by the school district in this case."

At issue was whether extracurricular activities should be part of the formal Individual Education Program established for students in special education. The school district argued it was not required to use the IEP to determine whether accommodations were needed for students to take part in volleyball and other after-school activities.

The parents of the student filed the complaint over the matter with the Department of Education, which then decided that the district had to use the IEP to consider whether accommodations were necessary under federal law.
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The district appealed the decision to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which agreed with the Department of Education on the matter. Finally, the district asked the Supreme Court for a ruling.

A call to the Centennial School District was not immediately returned Thursday.