Disability Law Cn Ak v. Anchorage School Dis

I. Background

Beginning in 2007, Plaintiff Disability Law Center of Alaska received six separate complaints regarding mistreat- ment of students in the intensive needs special education class at Lake Otis Elementary School in Anchorage. These com- plaints described general problems with classroom conditions and specific treatment of both named and unnamed students, as well as identifying the one teacher and one aide responsi- ble.

Law Center is the designated Protection and Advocacy agency for the state of Alaska, as provided under the Protec- DISABILITY LAW CENTER v. ANCHORAGE SCHOOL 12835 tion and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act, 42 U.S.C. § 10801 et seq., and the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 15001 et seq. Acting pursuant to its investigatory authority under the legis- lation, Law Center contacted Defendant Anchorage School District, requesting information regarding the class, its stu- dents, its staff, and any relevant school district investigations. The school district provided most of the requested informa- tion but refused to provide contact information for the stu- dents’ guardians or legal…