SYLVIA H. RAMBO, District Judge.
Before the court is Defendant Central York School District's ("the District") motion to dismiss (Doc. 7) Plaintiff's claims brought pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ("Section 504"), 29 U.S.C. § 794, and the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), 42 U.S.C. § 12131 et seq. Defendant seeks to dismiss Plaintiff's Section 504 and ADA claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Defendant also seeks to dismiss Plaintiff's IDEA, Section 504 and ADA claims pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. For the reasons that follow, the court will grant Defendant's motion as it pertains to Plaintiff's failure to exhaust administrative remedies for Plaintiff's claims brought under the ADA and Section 504 and deny the motion as it pertains to failure to state a claim under the IDEA.
Plaintiff is a former student of the Central York School District. (Compl. ¶ 7.) Plaintiff was identified by the District
Although being promoted to twelfth grade, Plaintiff's mother voluntarily chose to have him repeat eleventh grade. (Id. ¶ 21.) However, Plaintiff's difficulties continued. (Id.) Citing the District's refusal to make changes to Plaintiff's educational program, Plaintiff's mother withdrew him from the District and enrolled him in the Christian School of York. (Id.) However, Plaintiff's academic difficulties continued and in the fall of 2008, he was re-evaluated and it was determined that Plaintiff had a significant auditory processing disorder, difficulty coding, and difficulty storing information. (Id. ¶ 22, 23.) Other noted weaknesses included his inability to pay attention, inability to process and outline information, inability to extract meaning from what he read, inability to memorize, and his inability to ask for assistance. (Id. ¶ 25.) After repeating eleventh grade at the Christian School of York, Plaintiff completed twelfth grade and has since graduated. (Id. ¶ 26.)
On November 4, 2010, Plaintiff's mother, Jamie Swope, filed a request for a due process hearing on Plaintiff's behalf, requesting compensatory education under the IDEA for the years in which the District failed to re-evaluate Plaintiff and provide for his educational needs. (Id. ¶ 12; see also Def.'s Br. in Supp., Doc. 8 at 7 of 25.) A hearing was held in six hearing sessions between March and July, 2010. (Id. ¶ 13.) On September 25, 2010, the hearing officer denied Plaintiff's claims. (Id.) Plaintiff appealed the hearing officer's decision by filing a complaint with this court on December 15, 2010, which was subsequently served on Defendant on January 12, 2011. (Doc. 1.) The complaint makes claims pursuant to the IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the ADA. By order dated February 24, 2011, the court referred the matter for mediation. (Doc. 6.) On March 11, 2011, Defendant filed the instant motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6). (Doc. 7.) A brief in support thereof was filed on March 25, 2011. (Doc. 8.) On April 8, 2011, Plaintiff
Plaintiff's IDEA claim is premised primarily on the District's alleged failure to provide a free and public education ("FAPE") within the IDEA, including allegations of failures to provide an updated psychological re-evaluation for Plaintiff and failure to develop or adjust an IEP to meet Plaintiff's special education needs. (Id. at ¶ 28 (a)-(e).) Plaintiff's complaint states that "due to Central York's failures to correctly evaluate him and provide him with a free and appropriate public Education, Kirk's academic achievement and skills are significantly below where they would be had he received a free and appropriate public education." (Id. ¶ 27.) Plaintiff's Section 504 and ADA claims are premised upon the District's alleged discrimination on the basis of Plaintiff's disability by failing to provide Plaintiff with an opportunity to participate and benefit from an education in the District that is commensurate to services provided to students without disabilities. (Id. ¶¶ 29(a)(e)-30(a)-(f).)
The IDEA requires that a state receiving federal education funding provide a FAPE to disabled children. 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(1). School districts provide a FAPE by designing and administering a program of individualized instruction that is set forth in an IEP. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d). "The IEP must be reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive meaningful educational benefits in light of the student's educational potential." Mary Courtney T., et al. v. Sch. Dist. of Phila., 575 F.3d 235, 240 (3d Cir.2009) (citations omitted). A parent who believes that a school has failed to provide a FAPE may request a due process hearing to seek relief from the school district. See 34 C.F.R. § 300.507.
The IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act provide nearly equivalent requirements. The IDEA provides an affirmative duty to provide education, whereas the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination against the disabled. Grieco v. New Jersey Dept. of Edu., 2007 WL 1876498, at *4, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46463, at *11 (D.N.J., June 27, 2007) (citing W.B. v. Matula, 67 F.3d 484, 492-93 (3d Cir.1995) (abrogated on other grounds by A.W. v. The Jersey City Pub. Sch., 486 F.3d 791 (3d Cir.2007))). "There appear to be few differences, if any, between IDEA's affirmative duty and § 504's negative prohibition." Susavage v. Bucks County Sch. Intermediate Unit, et al., 2002 WL 109615, at *18, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1274, at *50 (E.D.Pa. Jan. 22, 2002) (quoting Matula, 67 F.3d at 492-93). Similarly, the ADA also prohibits discrimination against the disabled. Like Section 504, ADA claims can be based on the discriminatory effect on disabled children of seemingly neutral practices and do not require a finding of intentional discrimination. See Susavage, 2002 WL 109615, at *19, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1274, at *53.
Defendant argues that Plaintiff's Section 504 and ADA claims should be dismissed because Plaintiff failed to exhaust his administrative remedies. "`A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1) challenges
Defendant argues that plaintiffs presenting Section 504, ADA and IDEA causes of action must first exhaust the administrative remedies provided under the IDEA prior to filing suit in federal court in instances where, as here, the relief sought pursuant to the ADA and Section 504 is essentially the same as that available under the IDEA. (Doc. 8 at 11 of 25.) Although a due process hearing was held wherein Plaintiff requested relief under the IDEA, Defendant points out that Plaintiff's Section 504 and ADA claims were not at issue there and are raised for the first time in Plaintiff's complaint. (Id. at 14 of 25.)
In its brief in opposition, Plaintiff concedes that the ADA and Section 504 claims are derivative of the IDEA claims, but argues that exhaustion is not required for the ADA and Section 504 claims because the potential relief is broader under those claims. (Doc. 11 at 19 of 23, n. 3.) Plaintiff also vaguely asserts, without explanation, that there may be "a difference in the Statute of Limitations to be applied." (Id.) Lastly, Plaintiff argues that neither the Rehabilitation Act nor the ADA impose an exhaustion requirement and, moreover, hearing officers do not have jurisdiction over ADA and Section 504 cases. (Id. at 18 of 23.) For the reasons set forth below, the court finds these arguments unpersuasive and will dismiss the Section 504 and ADA claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
Exhaustion of the IDEA's administrative remedies is required not only for actions brought under the IDEA, but also for other actions brought "seeking relief that is also available under [the IDEA]." 20 U.S.C. § 1415(l). More specifically:
20 U.S.C. § 1415(l) (emphasis added). Based on this language, courts have repeatedly held that, to the extent that any
Thus, the central issue this court must resolve is whether the relief sought under Plaintiffs ADA and Section 504 claims is also available under the IDEA. In his complaint, Plaintiff seeks the following remedies: (1) declaratory relief in the form of a ruling that the District failed to properly evaluate Kirk and provide him with a FAPE in violation of IDEA; (2) compensatory education since the seventh grade (2003-2004 school year); (3) attorneys fees; and (4) such additional relief as the court deems necessary and appropriate. (Compl., pp. 17-18.)
The types of relief sought by Plaintiff are available under the IDEA. The IDEA empowers district courts with considerable discretion when fashioning a remedy. See 20 U.S.C. 1415(i)(2)(C)(iii) (the court "shall grant such relief as the court determines appropriate.") The case law is clear that various forms of equitable relief, including the issuance of a declaratory judgment, can be obtained through the IDEA's administrative proceedings. Hesling II, 2010 WL 2649909, at *l-2, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65450, at *3-4; Hesling v. Avon Grove Sch. Dist. ("Hesling I"), 428 F.Supp.2d 262, 273 (E.D.Pa. 2006). The court could stop there, because provided "at least part of the relief sought by [Plaintiff] ... is available through [the IDEA's] administrative procedures," the
Plaintiff erroneously relies on Weidow v. Scranton Sch. Dist., 2009 WL 2588856, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 73622 (M.D.Pa. Aug. 19, 2009) for the proposition that exhaustion is not required here because neither Section 504 nor the ADA impose an exhaustion requirement. That case is distinguishable because there, Plaintiff graduated prior to filing the action, and sought compensatory damages that were unavailable under the IDEA. The court held that the plaintiff was excused from the IDEA exhaustion requirements because his graduation terminated the district's obligation to identify and evaluate her as a disabled student thereby prohibiting her from seeking relief through the IDEA administrative process. The court also held that because the plaintiff sought only compensatory damages, which are not available under the IDEA, she is not subject to the IDEA's exhaustion requirements. Id. at *8, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 73622, at *23. Here, the record shows that Plaintiff did not graduate prior to the filing the action
20 U.S.C. § 1415(l) (emphasis added). Thus, the court finds that a hearing officer may rule on facts falling under claims that are concurrent with IDEA claims where, as here, the relief sought is available under the IDEA.
Finally, although the policy requiring exhaustion is a powerful one, the Third Circuit has recognized that exhaustion is excused in certain circumstances, namely "where recourse to the administrative proceedings would be futile or inadequate, the issue presented is purely a legal question, or the administrative agency cannot grant the requested relief" or "where an agency has adopted a policy or pursued a practice of general applicability that is contrary to law." See Grieco, 2007 WL 1876498, at *6, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46463, at *18 (citations omitted). The plaintiff bears the burden of showing that exhaustion is futile or that the relief of an administrative remedy is inadequate. Weber v. Cranston Sch. Comm., 212 F.3d 41, 52 (1st Cir.2000); see also Hesling I, 428 F.Supp.2d at 274. Here, Plaintiff does not allege, let alone meet his burden of showing that any exception to the exhaustion requirement applies, and the court's independent analysis finds no reason to excuse exhaustion.
In short, the court finds that Plaintiff's ADA and Section 504 claims are derivative of his IDEA claim and the requested relief is available under the IDEA, and thus Plaintiff is not excused from the IDEA's exhaustion requirement as to those claims. Because Plaintiff's ADA and Section 504 claims were not at issue during the due process hearing, Plaintiff failed to exhaust his administrative remedies and, in the absence of any showing that Plaintiff is excused from exhaustion, the court will dismiss the ADA and Section 504 claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
When presented with a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, the court "must accept all of the complaint's well-pleaded facts as true, but may disregard any legal conclusions," Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210 (3d Cir.2009), and ultimately must determine "whether the facts alleged in the complaint are sufficient to show that the plaintiff has a `plausible claim for relief.'" Id. at 211 (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1950, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009)). Additionally, the court must "accept as true all factual allegations in the complaint and all reasonable inferences that can be drawn therefrom, and view them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff." Kanter v. Barella, 489 F.3d 170, 177 (3d Cir.2007) (quoting Evancho v. Fisher, 423 F.3d 347, 350 (3d Cir.2005)). The complaint must do more than allege the plaintiff's entitlement to relief; it must "show such an entitlement with its facts." Fowler, 578 F.3d at 211 (citations omitted). As the Supreme Court instructed in Iqbal, "[w]here the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the mere
"To decide a motion to dismiss, courts generally consider only the allegations contained in the complaint, exhibits attached to the complaint and matters of public record." Pension Benefit Guar. Corp. v. White Consol. Indus., Inc., 998 F.2d 1192, 1196 (3d Cir.1993) (citations omitted); see also Sands v. McCormick, 502 F.3d 263, 268 (3d Cir.2007). The court may consider "undisputedly authentic document[s] that a defendant attaches as an exhibit to a motion to dismiss if the plaintiff's claims are based on the [attached] document[s]." Pension Benefit, 998 F.2d at 1196. Additionally, "documents whose contents are alleged in the complaint and whose authenticity no party questions, but which are not physically attached to the pleading, may be considered." Pryor v. Nat'l Collegiate Athletic Ass'n, 288 F.3d 548, 560 (3d Cir.2002) (citation omitted); see also U.S. Express Lines, Ltd. v. Higgins, 281 F.3d 383, 388 (3d Cir.2002) ("Although a district court may not consider matters extraneous to the pleadings, a document integral to or explicitly relied upon in the complaint may be considered without converting the motion to dismiss into one for summary judgment.") (internal quotation omitted). However, the court may not rely on other parts of the record in making its decision. Jordan v. Fox, Rothschild, O'Brien & Frankel, 20 F.3d 1250, 1261 (3d Cir.1994).
Defendant argues that Plaintiff's IDEA, Section 504, and ADA claims should be dismissed for failure to plead claims with sufficient factual particularity and for failure to state a claim within the two year statute of limitations applicable to IDEA, Section 504 and ADA claims. Because Plaintiff's Section 504 and ADA claims are dismissed for failure to exhaust administrative remedies, the court will address these arguments only as they pertain to Plaintiff's IDEA claim.
Defendant argues that Plaintiff's IDEA claim should be dismissed for failure to state a claim because the factual allegations with respect to whether the District provided Plaintiff with FAPE are vague and conclusory. (Doc. 7 ¶ 6.) Defendant further argues that the complaint fails to address the period of compensable time with sufficient factual enhancement and instead includes only one paragraph with a vague and unexplained reference to "academic difficulties." (Id.)
As stated above, the Supreme Court of the United States articulated a "plausibility" standard that a plaintiff must meet by its factual allegations to survive a motion to dismiss. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955; Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1950. Under the IDEA, a state receiving federal education funding is required to provide a FAPE to disabled children. 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(1). School districts provide a FAPE by designing and administering a program of individualized instruction that is set forth in an IEP. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d). "The IEP must be reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive meaningful educational benefits in light of the student's educational potential." Mary Courtney T., 575 F.3d at 240. Thus,
Turning next to Defendant's statute of limitations argument, Defendant notes that Plaintiff's complaint makes claims about his education dating back to 2000, and requests compensatory education back to 2003-2004. (Def.'s Br. in Supp., Doc. 8 at 24 of 25.) Defendant further notes that Plaintiff has not been a student in the District since June 2008. Because Plaintiff filed his due process complaint in January 2010, Defendant argues that this court should uphold the hearing officer's finding that the two-year statute of limitations bars Plaintiff from presenting testimony and making claims under the IDEA beyond January 2008, two years prior to the filing of the due process complaint. (Id.) Plaintiff responds by arguing that an analysis of the IDEA statute of limitations requires a fact-based analysis that is inappropriate for a motion to dismiss. (Pl.'s Br. in Opp., Doc. 11 at 21 of 23.) Plaintiff also infers, without analysis, that the statute of limitations should not bar his claims as a result of minority tolling under 42 Pa. Cons.Stat. § 5533. (Id.)
In December 2004, Congress amended the IDEA to include a two-year statute of limitations for the initiation of due process proceedings, effective July 1, 2005. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(f)(3)(C). Previously, the IDEA contained no explicit statute of limitations. The amendment provides:
Id. However, this limitations period does not apply if the parent was prevented from requesting a due process hearing due to either:
Id. § 1415(f)(3)(D).
The court agrees with Plaintiff that any inquiry into the application of the statute of limitations requires a highly factual determination as to when the parent "knew or should have known" of the violations that formed the basis of the complaint. Such a factual analysis will necessarily require a review of the administrative record beyond a mere review of the hearing officer's decision.
For the aforementioned reasons, Defendant's motion to dismiss Plaintiff's ADA and Section 504 claims will be granted. However, Defendant's motion to dismiss Plaintiff's IDEA claim will be denied. An appropriate order will be issued.
In accordance with the above memorandum, it is