Knable V. Bexley City School District

Parents of a behaviorally disabled boy brought this action under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA" or "Act"), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., against the Bexley, Ohio, school district ("Bexley"). The parents sought reimbursement for the costs of placing their child in private school after they withdrew him from Bexley public schools. The district court affirmed the findings of the state Impartial Hearing Officer and denied the parents' request for reimbursement. The parents appeal, arguing that the school district committed both procedural and substantive violations of the IDEA, and consequently denied their son the "free appropriate public education" to which he was entitled under the Act. For the reasons that follow, we REVERSE the decision of the district court and REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.