STATE OF CONNECTICUT
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Student v. Wilton Board of Education - CT SDE Case No. 17-0507
Case No. 17-0507
Student and Wilton Board of Education
Appearing on behalf of the Student: Attorney Philip Cohn Goldman Gruder & Woods LLC 200 Connecticut Avenue Norwalk, CT 06854-1964
Appearing on behalf of the Board of Education: Attorney Christopher Tracey Shipman & Goodwin LLP 300 Atlantic Street Stamford, CT 06901-3522
Appearing before: Attorney Ann F. Bird, Hearing Officer
ISSUES:
1. Did the Board of Education offer the Student a free appropriate public education for the 2015-16 and/or 2016-17 School Years?
a. If not, does the Student require a residential placement?
b. If so, is the Ashville Academy for Girls appropriate for the Student?
c. If so, should the Student be placed at the Ashville Academy for Girls and/or reimbursed for the expense of her matriculation there?
2. If the Board did not offer the Student a free appropriate public education, should the Student receive compensatory education services?
PROCEDURAL HISTORY:
The Student initiated this special education due process case on May 31, 2017. This Impartial Hearing Officer was assigned to the case on June 2, 2017. A Prehearing Conference was convened on June 22, 2017, after an earlier unsuccessful attempt. Attorney Phillip Cohn appeared on behalf of the Student. Although Attorney Christopher Tracey had appeared on behalf of the Board of Education he did not appear for the conference. The deadline for filing the final decision in this case was established to be August 14, 2017. Attorney Cohn reported that the parties participated in mediation and reached a tentative settlement of this case. An evidentiary hearing was scheduled for August 9, 2017.
The evidentiary hearing was convened on August 9, 2017. Attorney Phillip Cohn appeared on behalf of the Student and Attorney Christopher Tracey appeared on behalf of the Board of Education. At the hearing, the parties reported that they had resolved the dispute and the Student requested that the matter be withdrawn or dismissed with prejudice.
FINAL DECISION AND ORDER:
It is ordered that the Student’s request is granted and the matter is dismissed with prejudice.