C.S. ex rel. Sundberg v. Governing Board of Riverside Unified School District

MEMORANDUM

The parents of C.S., a minor, appeal from the decision of the district court in favor of the Riverside Unified School District (“RUSD”) and the Desert Sands Unified School District (“DSUSD”). 3 C.S. is an autistic child who sought special education and related services through RUSD under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), 20 U.S.C. §§ MOO-1482. An administrative due process hearing was held before the Office of Administrative Hearings, Special Education Division, State of California. Asserting that the school district denied C.S. a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”), C.S. requested reimbursement for placement in a private program, the Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention (“LIFE”), and an independent educational evaluation (“IEE”) paid for by the parents. RUSD contended it had not denied C.S. a FAPE. After a week-long evidentiary hearing, in *631 a thorough and careful sixteen-page decision, the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) found in favor of the school district on all issues. The matter was submitted to the district court on the administrative record and the briefing of the parties, which affirmed the decision of the ALJ. The…