Disabled students’ rights draw scrutiny

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court will consider how much extra help public schools must provide to students with disabilities, agreeing to hear an appeal from two parents seeking reimbursement for the cost of their autistic son’s private school.

The case will mark the first time since 2009 that the court has considered the reach of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which gives educational rights to some 6.5 million children.

At issue is how much school districts must do to meet each child’s needs. In the case the justices will take up, a federal appeals court said the Colorado school district need only provide “some educational benefit.” The parents say that standard is too lax and doesn’t square with the law’s broad goals. “The IDEA seeks to provide children with genuine access to public education,” said the parents, identified in court papers as Joseph F. and Jennifer F. “School districts that provide only a just-above-trivial benefit cannot achieve this objective.”