ERIC F. MELGREN, District Judge.
Before the Court are Motions to Dismiss Plaintiff's First Amended Complaint (Docs. 44 & 70) by Defendants Butler County Special Education Interlocal #638 (the "Interlocal"), Mitch Neuenschwander, Lisa Arndt, Derek Sarkett, Angie Adlesperger, Logan Adlesperger, Aspen Adlesperger, Jorden Ewert, Dawn Turner, Teresa Smith, and Jordan Tullis (collectively the "Individuals"). Plaintiff E.C., by and through his parents W.C. and K.C., brings this action pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ("Section 504"), Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The only claims E.C. asserts against the Individuals are § 1983 claims in Count VII. The remaining Counts assert claims against the Interlocal and U.S.D. 385 Andover ("USD 385"). For the reasons stated below, the Court grants in part and denies in part the Defendants' motions.
E.C. is an 11-year-old disabled boy who has attended many local schools, oftentimes transferring in the middle of the year. At one time or another, E.C. has attended New Song Academy, Princeton Children's Center, Holy Cross Lutheran School, Sunflower Elementary School, Meadowlark Elementary School, Prospect Special Day School, Haverhill Special Day School ("Haverhill"), Heartspring Day School ("Heartspring"), Lincoln Elementary School, Andover eAcademy, and Prairie Creek Elementary School ("Prairie Creek"). In particular, E.C. attended Fifth Grade at Prairie Creek in Andover and Haverhill in Augusta. To accommodate disabled students and provide them with Free, Appropriate Public Education ("FAPE"), USD 385 and other Butler County school districts have formed the Interlocal. Throughout E.C.'s schooling, the Interlocal has developed several Individualized Educational Programs ("IEP") and Behavioral Intervention Plans ("BIP") to attempt to meet E.C.'s special educational needs.
E.C.'s disability
Three events in E.C.'s educational history are particularly relevant to this motion. First, throughout E.C.'s schooling, his parents have been involved with the Interlocal's development and modification of his IEP. However, in May 2016 the Interlocal made changes to E.C.'s IEP without consulting his parents. In response, E.C. filed a complaint with the Kansas State Department of Education ("KSDE"), which ruled in his favor. Later that year, in October 2016, Prairie Creek called local police after a particularly aggressive instance of E.C.'s misbehavior. The police arrested E.C. and took him to juvenile detention. It was after this arrest that Prairie Creek initiated another IEP modification, transferring E.C. to Haverhill.
The second event relevant to this motion occurred in Spring 2017. In response to a perceived lack of clarity in Haverhill's communications with E.C.'s parents, E.C. filed for an IDEA due process hearing on March 31, 2017. Beginning on April 10, E.C.'s parents stopped sending E.C. to Haverhill and instead utilized the Interlocal's A+ online learning system. Noticing E.C.'s absence from school, Haverhill sent a letter of inquiry to E.C.'s parents on April 14, 2017. E.C.'s parents failed to respond to that letter, incorrectly assuming that E.C.'s use of the online learning system constituted school attendance. Haverhill filed a truancy charge with the KSDE, and on June 23, 2017, an agent of the Kansas Department for Children and Families ("KDCF") went to E.C.'s home to speak with his parents. E.C.'s parents were not home at the time but later communicated with the KDCF agent, informing her about the ongoing IDEA due process hearing. In response, the KDCF agent closed the truancy investigation, indicating that she was formerly unaware of the IDEA proceedings.
The third and final event that is relevant to this motion occurred on November 1, 2016. On that day, E.C. had a particularly rough time at school. He pushed a school computer off a desk and then punched Ms. Arndt in the face. In response, some of the Individuals restrained E.C. and secluded him in a designated room. During that seclusion, E.C. was subjected to a "prone restraint" contrary to Kansas state law. During E.C.'s seclusion and 16-minute prone restraint, each of the Individuals passed by or through the seclusion room.
Pursuant to E.C.'s March 31, 2017 IDEA complaint, a hearing was held by independent hearing officer James Beasley (the "Hearing Officer") over a period of nine days (June 26-28, July 12-13, August 23-24, and September 19-20, 2017). The Hearing Officer considered the following questions: did USD 385 and the Interlocal (collectively the "Districts") deny autism as the primary exceptionality for E.C., resulting in a denial of FAPE?; did the Districts fail to provide appropriate services for E.C.'s autism diagnosis, resulting in a denial of FAPE?; did the Districts fail to implement the behavior intervention plan, resulting in a denial of FAPE?; did the Districts fail to ensure that the IEP provided FAPE?; did the Districts refuse to provide a required IEP amendment?; and lastly, if the Districts failed to provide FAPE, does that entitle E.C. to a residential placement at an undetermined location? The Hearing Officer issued his decision on December 18, 2017, ruling in favor of the Districts on all issues.
E.C. timely filed an appeal with the KSDE on January 17, 2018. Administrative Law Judge Bob L. Corkins (the "Review Officer") reviewed the Hearing Officer's decision and affirmed it on March 2, 2018. After properly exhausting all administrative remedies under the IDEA, E.C. filed this Case on April 2, 2018, seeking review and reversal of the IDEA administrative decisions. Multiple Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint. In response, E.C. filed his First Amended Complaint, further supplementing his factual allegations.
In addition to his IDEA claims, E.C. asserts Section 504 and ADA claims, alleging that the Interlocal failed to provide public education free from discrimination based on his disability. Furthermore, E.C. asserts a § 1983 claim, alleging the Interlocal and the Individuals violated his rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments through their disciplinary measures. The Interlocal and the Individuals now move under Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss all claims E.C. asserts against them.
Under Rule 12(b)(6), a defendant may move for dismissal of any claim for which the plaintiff has failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.
In his Amended Complaint, E.C. requests that the Court award him "all relief allowed by law and equity." The Interlocal seeks dismissal of any compensatory damage claims that E.C. asserts under the IDEA.
Furthermore, as this Court previously held in its ruling on USD 385's motion to dismiss (Doc. 44), E.C. fails to state independent claims in Counts I and IV. Rather, in those Counts E.C. reiterates, albeit less clearly, the same substantive and procedural IDEA claims asserted under Counts II and III respectively. Since Counts II and III adequately cover all substantive and procedural claims E.C. may assert under the IDEA, Counts I and IV are superfluous. The Court therefore dismisses Counts I and IV sua sponte.
E.C. has labeled both Counts V and VI as "Section 504 and the ADA." In Count V, E.C. alleges that the Interlocal discriminated against E.C. by reason of his disability and therefore violated both Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA. In Count VI, E.C. similarly alleges that the Interlocal violated Section 504 and the ADA because it had "practices and policies" that discriminated against disabled students like himself. For the following reasons, the Court concludes that E.C. has failed to state claims in Counts V and VI, and the Court dismisses both claims.
Claims under § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA, "involve the same substantive standards, [so courts] analyze them together."
Two Tenth Circuit decisions apply to the present case. In J.H. ex rel. J.P. v. Bernalillo County,
The Court concludes that E.C. has not stated a facially plausible claim for discrimination under Section 504 or the ADA. While E.C. states sufficient facts to satisfy the first three elements of a discrimination claim—that he is disabled and qualified to participate in the IDEA, and that the Interlocal receives federal funds—he fails to plausibly allege facts to satisfy the final element, discrimination. E.C. alleges that the Interlocal discriminated against him when it repeatedly restrained and secluded him in response to his disruptive—and oftentimes violent—conduct. He argues that since he was removed from the classroom, he was denied his right to public education. Importantly, however, E.C. fails to allege any facts that give rise to an inference that the Interlocal's actions were solely—or even partly— "by reason of" E.C.'s disability. Even though E.C. alleges that all of his actions were "manifestations of [his] disability," the Tenth Circuit has specifically held that "a student's conduct may be regulated," even if it is a "manifestation of his disability."
E.C. also fails to state a claim under Count VI. E.C. alleges no facts allowing the Court to reasonably infer that the Interlocal has "practices or policies" that intentionally discriminate against students with disabilities. Rather, E.C. mentions general instances of restraint or seclusion in response to his conduct. Since public entities are legally permitted to regulate students' misconduct, they are logically also permitted to enact practices and policies to regulate misconduct. Even if E.C. sufficiently alleged a pattern of conduct such that de facto practices and policies were established, he has failed to allege that those practices and policies did anything more than legally regulate his misconduct, rather than illegally discriminate against him by reason of his disability. The Court concludes that E.C. has failed to state claims under Section 504 or the ADA in Counts V and VI. As such, the Court dismisses those claims.
E.C. alleges in Count VIII that the Interlocal retaliated against him for exercising his rights under the ADA, Section 504, and § 1983. The Interlocal moves to dismiss these claims, arguing that E.C. fails to allege a causal connection between E.C.'s protected activity and the Interlocal's actions.
To state a claim for retaliation under the ADA and Section 504, a plaintiff must show three things: (1) that the plaintiff engaged in a protected activity, (2) that the plaintiff suffered adverse action, and (3) a causal link between the protected activity and adverse action.
In the present case, E.C. alleges that he engaged in protected activities in at least two instances. First, he filed a complaint with the KSDE on May 17, 2016, after the Interlocal held an IEP meeting without E.C. being present. Second, E.C. filed an IDEA Due Process Complaint on March 31, 2017. The Court agrees that both of these events are instances of E.C. engaging in protected activities. As such, E.C. has alleged sufficient facts to satisfy the first element of a retaliation claim.
E.C. next alleges that he suffered adverse action when the Interlocal contacted the KDCF after both administrative complaints to report truancy and possible parental misbehavior. E.C. also alleges that the Interlocal retaliated against him when Prairie Creek, one of its constituent schools, called the local police to have him arrested in October 2016, five months after E.C.'s complaint in May. However, when the Interlocal filed a truancy charge with the KDCF, E.C. had in fact been absent from school for weeks. The Interlocal first attempted to reach out to E.C.'s parents to inquire about E.C.'s absences, but E.C.'s parents failed to reply. Additionally, when Prairie Creek called the police in October 2016, it was in response to E.C.'s aggressive threats and violent behavior. Both the Interlocal's response to E.C.'s truancy and Prairie Creek's response to E.C.'s misbehavior were reasonable, justified, and legal. On their own, those responses cannot be considered "adverse action" that satisfies the second element of retaliation. Since E.C. fails to allege other facts indicating that he suffered an illegal adverse action, the Court concludes that he has alleged insufficient facts to satisfy the second element of a retaliation claim.
Lastly, E.C. alleges that the temporal proximity between his protected activities and the Interlocal's actions satisfies the element of causal connection. In Koon v. Sedgwick County, Kansas,
This case differs from Koon because E.C. merely alleges temporal proximity between his protected activities and the Interlocal's actions. E.C. filed for an IDEA due process hearing on March 31, 2017. Shortly thereafter, USD 385 sent E.C.'s parents a letter of inquiry, which they failed to reply to. The Interlocal then filed a truancy charge with the KDCF. On June 23, 2017, KDCF agents arrived at E.C.'s home to investigate the truancy charge, later terminating the investigation after learning of the IDEA hearings. E.C. admits that he was in fact physically absent from school at Haverhill, and therefore a truancy charge was warranted. The temporal proximity of his protected activities and the Interlocal's actions alone does not give rise to a reasonable inference that the two events were causally connected. Likewise, E.C. alleges that the temporal proximity of his arrest to the prior IDEA complaint establishes a causal connection. However, Prairie Creek called the police in response to E.C.'s misconduct in October 2016, five months after E.C.'s complaint in May. Besides this sequence of events and their temporal proximity, E.C. alleges no other facts indicating that the Interlocal had a retaliatory motive. Mere temporal proximity in this case—unaccompanied by other factual allegations—fails to give rise to a reasonable inference that the Interlocal's actions were causally connected to E.C.'s protected activities. As a result, the Court concludes that E.C. has alleged insufficient facts to satisfy the third and final element of a retaliation claim. Because E.C. has failed to allege facts to support the second or third elements of a retaliation claim, the Court dismisses Count VIII for failure to state a facially plausible claim.
Lastly, E.C. asserts § 1983 claims against both the Individuals and the Interlocal, alleging that they violated his constitutional rights. The Court will address the allegations against each Defendant in turn. Because the Court concludes that E.C. has failed to state § 1983 claims against any Defendant, it grants the Defendants' motions to dismiss those claims.
Public employees enjoy qualified immunity in civil actions brought against them in their individual capacities which arise out of the performance of their duties.
When analyzing issues of qualified immunity, courts engage in a two-pronged inquiry.
The Individuals cite multiple cases dealing with the first prong of the qualified immunity analysis. In Couture v. Board of Education of Albuquerque Public Schools,
In Ebonie S. v. Pueblo School District 60,
Finally, in Muskrat v. Deer Creek Public Schools,
The Court concludes that E.C. has failed to allege facts that overcome the Individuals' qualified immunity from § 1983 claims. The Court accepts the fact that prone restraints are prohibited under Kansas state law, but even if the prone restraint in this case could be attributed to each of the Individuals, they would nevertheless be entitled to qualified immunity from § 1983 liability because, under the circumstances, the prone restraint did not violate E.C.'s constitutional rights. The cases cited above indicate that the Tenth Circuit has repeatedly upheld individual defendants' qualified immunity under similar—and sometimes more severe—factual scenarios. Here, the Individuals' act of secluding E.C., and even temporarily restraining him in the prone position, in response to his misconduct (destroying school property and punching Ms. Arndt in the face) does not violate E.C.'s constitutional rights. E.C. has failed to allege sufficient facts that give rise to a reasonable inference that the Individuals violated E.C.'s constitutional rights.
Furthermore, E.C. fails to allege any specific facts pertaining to each of the Individuals—besides their mere presence at one time or another outside of the seclusion room—that gives rise to the reasonable inference that any of them are not entitled to qualified immunity. E.C. makes multiple vague claims that unnamed persons listed as individual defendants used physical force, restraints, or seclusions against him at other instances. Absent particularized pleadings of facts as to any of the Individuals, the Court cannot hold that E.C. has stated facially plausible claims against any one of them.
Although it is unclear in the Amended Complaint, E.C. appears to assert a § 1983 claim against the Interlocal. E.C. specifically alleges that his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when he was restrained and secluded in response to his misconduct. Since it is well established that a government employer can only be vicariously liable under § 1983 for its employees' actions if the injury results from a government policy, practice, or custom, the Court assumes for the sake of argument that E.C. intends to allege that the Interlocal has a policy, practice, or custom that violated his constitutional rights. For the following reasons, the Court concludes that E.C. has failed to state a facially plausible claim under § 1983.
Section 1983 states, in relevant part: "Every person who under color of [law] subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen . . . to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured . . . ."
E.C. has failed to allege facts sufficient for the Court to reasonably infer that the Interlocal "implemented or executed policies" that led to the excessive use of force against E.C. The Court is not persuaded that the Interlocal's disciplinary actions sufficiently evinces a policy, practice, or custom violating the Constitution under § 1983. Without discounting the severity of the allegations leveled at other individual defendants, the Court concludes that E.C. has failed to state a facially plausible claim against the Interlocal and the Court dismisses Count VII.
Defendants Mitch Neuenschwander, Lisa Arndt, Derek Sarkett, Angie Adlesperger, Logan Adlesperger, Aspen Adlesperger, Jorden Ewert, Dawn Turner, Teresa Smith, and Jordan Tullis are therefore terminated from this case.