Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley (1982)

Details:

Parents of a deaf student in the first grade sought, in addition to the services being provided, a sign language interpreter in the classroom. Services already provided included an FM headphone receiver tuned to a microphone worn by the teacher and fellow students, a course in sign language interpretation, and a teletype machine in the office to communicate with her parents, who were also deaf. Upon the completion of her kindergarten year, the accomodations provided were deemed satisfactory and would continue in her first-grade year. The student showed achievement academically and socially, and so the district determined the interpreter was not necessary.

The parents exercised their rights to judicial review of the district's decision on the basis that the student's potential was not maximized to the point that it would be if the student did not have her handicap. The case reached the Supreme Court, who determined that the district was providing a free and appropriate public education. It was further determined that IDEA does not require a district to provide every beneficial service or with any and all services requested by the parents.