Camden, NJ – A federal judge has ruled that the Mantua Township Board of Education is not required to pay for independent evaluations obtained by the parent of a former student, overturning a state administrative order that had forced the district to cover the costs.
The dispute arose after E.K., the parent of an autistic student identified as W.W., sought three outside educational assessments and then demanded reimbursement from the district under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In 2022, a New Jersey administrative law judge granted the parent’s request, finding the Board had waived its right to challenge the invoices.
But in a decision released last week, U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams reversed that outcome, holding that the administrative judge misapplied state regulations. The court granted judgment in favor of the Board, concluding that the waiver finding improperly sidestepped whether Mantua schools were actually responsible for the bills under federal and state special education law.
The IDEA requires public schools to evaluate students suspected of having disabilities and, in some circumstances, pay for independent educational evaluations if parents disagree with the district’s findings. Mantua officials argued they had followed proper procedures and were not obligated to cover the additional testing.
The ruling sends the case back into the district’s column after years of litigation, clarifying that the earlier administrative decision cannot stand.
