Families Sue Clark County School District Over Alleged Failure to Educate Special Needs Students

Las Vegas, NV – Several families of children with special needs and disabilities have filed a class action lawsuit against the Clark County School District (CCSD) and the Nevada Department of Education, alleging systemic failures in providing adequate education and support. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims the district is violating federal law by failing to meet the needs of these students.

“There has been a continued embarrassing dysfunction between the state and the Clark County School District,” stated Lori Rogich, one of the attorneys representing the nine families involved in the lawsuit. The legal team, composed of prominent attorneys from across the country, argues that the ongoing crisis stems from a lack of resources and inadequate staffing.

“Our goal is to identify, get the proper assistance, get the teachers properly trained, get this to get adjusted,” said attorney Hillary Freeman. “There is definitely funding to make this happen. So, we want to investigate the funding and why it’s not going to children with special needs.”

The lawsuit highlights several key issues:

• Staffing Shortages: Teachers are being pulled from special education classrooms to cover general education needs, preventing them from providing the legally required instructional time outlined in students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
• Lack of Security: One parent, Iva Lewis, described her non-verbal son repeatedly leaving school grounds unsupervised, raising serious safety concerns.
• Delayed or Inadequate Assessments: Children are not being properly assessed for special education services, leading to delays in receiving necessary support. Anna Marie Binder, another parent involved in the lawsuit, shared how her son went unidentified with learning disabilities for three years.
• Failure to Follow IEPs: Binder also described consistent issues with the implementation of her younger son’s IEP, including a lack of communication and basic care.
• Transportation and Security Concerns: Attorney Gregory Little cited concerns about inadequate security and transportation services for special needs students.

The lawsuit is not seeking monetary damages. Instead, the families are demanding immediate corrective action. “What we’re shooting for right away, is to have an injunction entered by the court, and then there would be a monitor that would be appointed that would finally provide some accountability and oversight,” explained Little.

The attorneys hope to achieve swift action through an injunction and court-appointed monitoring, ensuring the district complies with state and federal laws protecting the educational rights of students with disabilities.

Both CCSD and the Nevada Department of Education declined to comment on the pending litigation. News 3 will continue to follow developments in this case.

Source: News3LV