Regulation Agency Obtains $2.four Million In Incapacity Discrimination Case Introduced By Former College students Of ‘Success Academy’ Faculty

Success Academy’s Charter Academy School network has been ordered to pay more than $ 2.4 million in a disability discrimination case filed by families of five former students

Powered by LawFuel – The Charter School Network Success Academy, announcing its commitment to children “from all walks of life,” has been ordered to pay more than $ 2.4 million for a verdict in a case involving families of five young black students Learning and other disabilities were filed after the children were evicted from a Success Academy school in Brooklyn. Success Academy’s efforts to crowd out the kids even included creating a “Got to Go” list, as reported by the New York Times in October 2015, that singled out the students they wanted to postpone, including the five child plaintiffs.

The lawsuit, filed by New York Public Interest Attorneys, Advocates for Justice, and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, ended on March 10, 2021 with senior U.S. District Judge Frederic Block’s ruling that included a precedent decision by those federal laws for disability discrimination allow reimbursement of expert fees.

In the case, it was charged that Success Academy conducted practices for students with disabilities to force them to withdraw. The practices described in the suit included regularly removing the children from the classroom and calling parents several times a day.

“This ruling does justice to the children and families who have suffered so much,” said Christopher Schuyler, senior attorney for the Disability Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. “It also underscores the need for schools to stop imposing harsh penalties for minor violations that may disrupt children’s academic progress and divert them into the school-prison pipeline.”

“Success Academy’s harsh, inflexible, and consistent approach to discipline runs counter to its commitment to adequately addressing student disabilities,” noted Kayley McGrath, a Stroock Litigation Group employee. “These children and their families had to withdraw from the Success Academy network, not only because their educational needs were not met, but also because they were expressly not welcome there. This judgment recognizes that children with disabilities deserve access to a responsive learning environment that meets their needs with empathy rather than contempt. “

“Success Academy forced these families to withdraw their children through bullying and daily harassment rather than providing quality, non-discriminatory education,” said Laura D. Barbieri, special advisor for Advocates for Justice. “New York’s parents and children deserve better, and we are delighted that these families have achieved justice.”

The litigation focused on five children, only 4 to 5 years old, with diagnosed or perceived disabilities. Success Academy did not provide adequate accommodation and often fired students before the end of the school day – often for behaviors such as fidgeting and pouting. The Success Academy also threatened to phone child protection authorities to investigate the children’s families and even sent a child to a psychiatric unit at the hospital. Each family eventually removed their child from the Success Academy network.

About New York Public Interest Lawyers

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) is a community-run civil rights organization advocating for equality and civil rights, focusing on disability, health, and environmental justice. Through Community Lawyering, NYLPI brings its legal, political, and organizational expertise to the service of New York communities and individuals. NYLPI’s Disability Justice program advocates all aspects of disability rights, including the fight to ensure that thousands of students with disabilities in New York City have access to appropriate programs and services. In addition to legal representation, NYLPI offers special education workshops for parents, students, attorneys, and other lawyers.

About Lawyers for Lawyers Chartered Attorneys

Advocates for Justice Chartered Attorneys (AFJ) is a public interest law firm whose mission is to ensure that quality legal representation is not limited to large corporations and high net worth individuals. The company believes that working people face most of our country’s legal problems: unequal educational resources, unfair or misleading credit practices, discrimination in the workplace and in their communities, breaking the law employers, toxic crime and pollution, and much more more. AFJ seeks to fill the void by providing easy access to quality legal services and seeking justice on behalf of all New Yorkers.

About Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, with 300 attorneys in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, DC, is a law firm providing transaction, regulatory, and litigation advice to leading financial institutions, multinational corporations, mutual funds, and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and overseas . Their emphasis on excellence and innovation has enabled them to maintain long-term relationships with their clients and has made them one of the leading law firms in the country for more than 140 years. Stroock has numerous pro bono customers, including children with disabilities in New York City who are discriminated against or denied education appropriate to their needs.

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