A Victory for Students with Disabilities—and for Justice

Today, School Law Center is celebrating a huge win for students with disabilities and their families. On June 12, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in our case, A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, saying that families fighting disability discrimination in schools are entitled to the same legal standards and protections as anyone else under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

For far too long, families in the Eighth Circuit and elsewhere challenging disability discrimination in education had to meet an unfairly high burden: proving that school officials acted with “bad faith or gross misjudgment.” That standard, imposed by several federal appeals courts over the past 40 years, made it incredibly difficult to hold schools accountable without proof of that high standard of intent.

But today, the Supreme Court put an end to that. The Justices affirmed unanimously that the IDEA does not limit the rights and remedies available under other federal laws, and they made it clear that students with disabilities deserve the same standards of to pursue claims as everyone else.

Going forward, families seeking injunctive relief under the ADA or Section 504 will no longer have to prove intent to discriminate. And if the family wants to seek compensatory damages, they’ll only need to show “deliberate indifference”, which is a far more reasonable and just standard.

Amy J. Goetz of School Law Center in Minnesota, is a fierce advocate, who represented the family in this case. She is honored to have worked with Roman Martinez and his capable team at Latham & Watkins, who argued it brilliantly before the Supreme Court.

This ruling is a game-changer. As COPAA and other advocates argued in their amicus brief, under the proper legal standard, many students who suffer discrimination would have and now can pursue the remedies they deserve. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed that students with disabilities are entitled to full protection against disability discrimination under the law.

Today’s decision represents a sea change in disability discrimination law in the United States.  We are proud to have been a part of this case and congratulate our clients on this momentous victory.