Eight Chicago Public School (CPS) students with disabilities and their LEP parents filed a class action lawsuit against the Board of Education of the City of Chicago, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the State Superintendent of Education. Plaintiffs alleged that defendants systematically failed to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) as required by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. Plaintiffs claimed defendants didn’t provide translations of documents or competent interpretation services. The court found that plaintiffs sufficiently alleged claims under IDEA and intentional discrimination under Title VI. The court also determined that plaintiffs’ claims about inadequate translation and interpretation services rose to the level of a FAPE denial under IDEA.
