$816,000 District Legal Fees + $475,000 Ruling - $$$ Not in the classroom

I first met Mr. Sammons a few years ago. He was in search of knowledge about the truth with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).


Was there a discrepancy in what the school system said the student learned and what others said he learned?

Published Thursday, August 19, 2004
Administrative Judge to Decide Diploma Dispute
Parents say high school shuffled their son through the system.

By JULIA CROUSE
The Ledger

Administrative Judge to Decide Diploma Dispute | theledger.com

As time went on, this happened March 31, 2005:

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA TAMPA DIVISION WILLIAM <b style="color:black;background-color:#a0ffff">SAMMONS</b> and JANIE

He did what most advocating parents do. He learned about the system, and he tried to tell the system what he had learned:

Presentation to the Polk County School Board 04-11-06

William H. Sammons Bill@ESEparents.org
My name is Bill Sammons

Then there is this:

Parents Settle Suit With Schools

By John Chambliss
THE LEDGER

Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 4:03 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 8:37 p.m.

"The turning point in the lawsuit occurred earlier this year when a judge ruled the School District had not provided a full education to Drew Sammons. The ruling in April ordered the district to pay up to $144,000 a year for five years to send Sammons to a private school.

The School Board appealed the ruling and faced the prospect of mounting lawyers’ fees that, for the district, already reached $816,000."

"The district settled one of the costliest lawsuits in recent memory, agreeing to pay the family $475,000."

"In Quattlebaum’s ruling, he criticized the district, saying the district was “either unable or unwilling to provide the appropriate services to which (Sammons) was entitled.”

"The lawsuit changed the district’s approach to ESE students."

Then there is that word "business" again:

“It caused people to step back and look hard at how business was done,” Bridges said."

Parents Settle Suit With Schools | theledger.com | The Ledger | Lakeland, FL