A mother is taking legal action against a school board, claiming her son was denied appropriate educational services. Yvette Williams filed a complaint on February 6, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana against the Rapides Parish School Board. She argues that the school board failed to provide her son, D.P., who has disabilities, with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) as required by law.
The case revolves around alleged procedural violations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Williams contends that an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) wrongly upheld decisions by the Rapides Parish School Board that denied her son essential educational services. These included flawed Manifestation Determination Reviews (MDRs), inadequate Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and denial of an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). The complaint details how these failures affected D.P.'s education during his time at Alexandria Senior High School in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years.
Williams's complaint highlights several specific grievances. She challenges the ALJ's conclusions that the school district met both procedural and substantive compliance regarding D.P.'s education. The complaint notes instances where D.P.'s misconduct was allegedly misjudged due to incomplete reviews of relevant information during MDR meetings held on February 6, 2023, and November 13, 2023. Additionally, Williams accuses the school board of failing to implement a properly calculated IEP to address D.P.'s needs and not providing adequate prior written notices as required by IDEA.
The plaintiff seeks a reversal of the ALJ's decision and is asking for remedies including acknowledgment of procedural violations and compensation for any educational services denied to D.P. The relief sought includes funding for an independent evaluation at public expense and implementation of appropriate educational programs tailored to D.P.'s needs.
The case involves multiple parties from Rapides Parish Schools who participated in meetings related to D.P.'s education plan. Notably, many individuals involved were also witnesses during hearings conducted by the ALJ between March and June 2024. Yvette Williams is represented by attorneys contesting all conclusions made by the ALJ, citing numerous factual inaccuracies and unsupported findings within the decision.
The legal team representing Yvette Williams includes various attorneys whose names are not disclosed in this document. The presiding judge over this matter is unnamed as well, with the case identified under Case ID: 1:25-cv-00140.