State to pay $4.4 million in landmark settlement

The agreement could affect future disputes about appropriate education for the disabled

By Mary Vorsino

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 29, 2012

~~<p>The state has agreed to pay $4.4 million to settle a landmark lawsuit filed by a couple who alleged the Department of Education failed to provide their daughters with appropriate autism-specific services during the girls' formative years in the 1990s.</p>
<p>Attorneys say the suit could have far-reaching implications for other cases filed on behalf of special-needs students who have not received a free, appropriate public education, as federal law requires.</p>
~~

The state has agreed to pay $4.4 million to settle a landmark lawsuit filed by a couple who alleged the Department of Education failed to provide their daughters with appropriate autism-specific services during the girls' formative years in the 1990s.

Attorneys say the suit could have far-reaching implications for other cases filed on behalf of special-needs students who have not received a free, appropriate public education, as federal law requires. Login for more...