Court Rules on School Assignment

CHARLOTTE — A variety of federal and state laws protect the rights of disabled children. The rights contained in these laws may be protected by court action — for example, parents may sue to a school board in an attempt to have a child with disabilities placed into a different school, that may have programs better suited to meet the child’s needs. A July 20 decision by the N.C. Court of Appeals, however, places a large restriction on using the courts in these and other school assignment cases. The state’s second highest court held that legal challenges in school assignment cases become moot when the school year ends, even if the student does not get into the school in subsequent years.