Cases & Deals

Family with autistic child attending public school successfully obtains an Individualized Education Plan for their son

Client(s) Family B

Jones Day Washington's Grant Willis and Michael Welch represented Family B against Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) over the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) created for their son with severe autism, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Grant and Mike attended several IEP meetings with MCPS and Family B to better develop educational goals that adequately addressed their son's needs, but ultimately challenged whether MCPS was meeting these educational goals in the classroom. On the day before the trial, MCPS offered a settlement agreement that Family B accepted, which included third party expert evaluation of their son's individualized educational needs and the development of an IEP taking into account the expert's evaluation. Mike and Grant are happy to report that the new IEP incorporates the educational goals they sought and Family B's son is now excelling in the classroom and at home.