The U.S. Supreme Court justices may not agree on much, but there are a few things they see eye-to-eye on.
One is that every child in this country is entitled to an appropriate public school education. And that includes children with disabilities.
On Tuesday, the court ruled unanimously in favor of a deaf student in Sturgis, Mich., who sued the school district there under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act for failing to accommodate with needed tools and assistance as required by law.
The student suit claimed the district's neglect permanently affected his ability to communicate. It further claimed the district inflated his grades and lmisled the student's parents about his progress.
The district settled the lawsuit by agreeing to pay for further instruction at the state school for the deaf. The question before the nation's highest court was could the student also pursue monetary damages under a different law, the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Lower courts said he could not. But the Supreme Court's answer was yes, he could.
This should be a wake up call for school districts. Neglect you obligation to properly educate students with disabilities and it could get costly.
Students with disabilities are entitled to a proper public education just as any other student would be. And that's something even a usually divided Supreme Court can agree on.