By Lateefah S. Williams, Esq.
Something major just happened that can be game changing for families with children who receive special education services.
On June 12, 2025, in a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for students with disabilities to hold schools accountable when their rights are violated. The case? A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, I’ll break it down.
What Was This Case About?
A.J.T., a student with disabilities, allegedly wasn’t given the services he needed. His family sued the school district under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), saying the school failed to meet his needs and essentially discriminated against him.
For years, if a family wanted to bring a case like this, they had to prove that the school acted with “bad faith” or “gross misjudgment.” That’s nearly an impossible bar to clear. It made winning cases extremely hard, even when the harm to the student was real.
But the Supreme Court just said: No, try again. That’s not the right standard.
The New Standard: Deliberate Indifference
The Court ruled that going forward, schools can be held accountable under the “deliberate indifference” standard.
That means that if a school knows a student is being denied special education services that the student needs and the school doesn’t do anything about it, they can be held liable. The school doesn’t have to have a bad motive or be wildly incompetent. It only has to be willfully neglectful.
This is a big deal!
It aligns education disability laws with how things already work in many ADA and civil rights cases, and it makes the legal playing field a bit fairer for families.
Why This Matters?
If you’re a parent who has ever sat in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting, you know how frustrating it can be when schools drag their feet and don’t provide the services your child needs. Sometimes kids go months without getting speech therapy, reading support, or behavioral interventions they’re entitled to receive. Families are told to “be patient” or that “staffing is an issue.” Meanwhile, your child is falling further and further behind.
Until now, if you went to court, you had to prove that the school acted almost maliciously. Just showing that your child suffered because of neglect wasn’t enough. That was too high of a bar for almost anyone to reach.
But now? If a school is deliberately indifferent (i.e. they knew about the problem and failed to act), they can be held responsible. That’s a much more reasonable bar, and it gives families real leverage.
The Impact
This decision will likely change how schools handle complaints and service delays. School administrators and special education teams will need to be more responsive when issues are raised because ignoring families can now come with real legal consequences.
It may also lead to more transparency. When schools know they can’t just hope a problem goes away, they may work harder to fix it fast.
What Families Should Do?
If you’re a parent or guardian, your voice just got a little louder. Here are a few tips:
- Document and save everything. This includes emails, meeting notes, and progress reports.
- Be specific. If your child isn’t getting a service, state it clearly and ask for a plan to fix it.
- Follow up. Do not let things slide.
This ruling says schools cannot allow anything to slide, either.
Conclusion
This decision is a long-overdue win for students with disabilities and their families. It’s a reminder that schools have a legal duty to act, not just nod sympathetically.
The Court’s message is clear: when schools know a student with disabilities is struggling and they don’t take meaningful steps to help, that’s not just unfortunate—it’s unlawful.
Now, families finally have a better chance to do something about it.
