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Parent says student excluded from extracurriculars, files state and federal complaints
Summary
A Little Falls parent told the school board her son was excluded from extracurricular activities because of his disability, saying the district violated his IEP and federal/state law; she said complaints were filed with the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and asked the district to investigate.
Sarah, a parent who addressed the board during public comment, said the district excluded her son from extracurricular activities this school year "based solely on his disability," and that the change violated provisions in his individualized education program (IEP).
She told the board she has submitted a complaint to the Minnesota Department of Education and filed discrimination complaints with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. "For years, his IEP has included specific language allowing his participation in extracurricular activities with the appropriate accommodations," she said, and that those supports had allowed him to participate in cross country and basketball since 2021. "This year, however, a new district policy was implemented and based solely on his disability. He was excluded without any consultation with parents and without any input from medical professionals." (Public comment began at SEG 024.)
Sarah said the district had not provided a nondiscriminatory reason for the exclusion and that no review of the student’s needs or IEP changes preceded the decision. She cited IDEA and Section 504 requirements and said the special education leadership had given conflicting advice: one official said certain IEP paragraphs need not be followed to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE), while another said all IEP provisions must be implemented. "When only one member of the special education leadership team understands this basic legal requirement, it raises serious concerns," she told the board.
She said the complaints now require the district to conduct an internal investigation into whether staff acted in a discriminatory manner and urged the board to "correct these misunderstandings, follow the laws that protect students with disabilities, and ensure that our son and every other student with a disability receives the rights that they are entitled to." The board did not announce a formal response or a timeline for an internal review during the meeting.
