[California] G.F., W.B., and Q.G. v. Contra Costa County – U.S. Statement of Interest

On February 13, 2014, the DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of young people confined in the Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall, alleging violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The DOJ reiterated that “Defendants (Contra Costa County) are required to provide special education and related services to youth with disabilities in restrictive security programs. Defendants cannot abandon their legal responsibilities when the County’s Department of Probation places the youth in restrictive security programs.” Further, the DOJ emphasized that “[u]nder the IDEA, public entities are not relieved from providing special education and related services to eligible youth with disabilities based on disciplinary reasons, and ‘direct threat’ or dangerousness is not a defense to the IDEA obligation to provide educational services to all eligible youth.”