A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday challenges the implementation of Virginia’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

A lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia alleges that hearing officers rarely stand by parents when they challenge school plans about how to educate their children. The Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

Federal law details early invention, special education, and other services that must be provided to eligible children and young people with disabilities so that they can receive an adequate education.

Parents who question the services provided for their children can file a complaint and go before a judge, but nearly two-thirds of hearings have ruled in favor of parents over the past 20 years. claims to have never dropped

The lawsuit was filed by Trevor and Vivian Chaplick, parents of Fairfax County Public Schools students and founders of Hear Our Voices Inc., an advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Appoints Michelle Reid, Fairfax County Board of Education and Superintendent of Education, Virginia Department of Education, Gillian Barrow, State Superintendent of Public Education.

According to the lawsuit, the Chapricks wanted their son to be placed in a residential school after he had faced significant problems in his life, including “autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” and other disabilities. but the district rejected the idea that he was needed. leave the department.

Chaprick proceeded with due process hearings despite warnings from school system social workers that they shouldn’t care (the lawsuit) because they would ‘lose’ . His son was placed in a residential educational facility, which his parents said the school district did not pay for.

The Chapricks launched an investigation into the State Department of Education. Trevor Chaprick said the department recruits, certifies, trains and pays public hearings officials each year, creating temptations for officials to rule in favor of schools. I would like to create an independent committee with no particular financial interest.

Plaintiffs seek a declaration that the inquisitor system “deprives families of procedural due process,” the complaint says. They also hope the agency will be found not to comply with federal law.

A spokeswoman for the State Department of Education and a spokeswoman for the Fairfax County school did not immediately respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.