Law Firm Obtains $2.4 Million in Disability Discrimination Case Brought By Former Students of ‘Success Academy’ School

Success Academy Charter School Network Ordered to Pay Over $2.4 Million in a Disability Discrimination Case Brought by Families of Five Former Students

Powered by LawFuel – Charter school network Success Academy, which touts its commitment to children “from all backgrounds,” has been ordered to pay over $2.4 million on a Judgment in a case brought by families of five young Black students with learning and other disabilities who sued after the children were pushed out of a Success Academy school in Brooklyn. Success Academy’s efforts to oust the children even included the creation of a “Got to Go” list, as reported by the New York Times in October 2015, which singled out the students they wanted to push out, including the five child plaintiffs.

The lawsuit, brought by New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Advocates for Justice, and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, concluded on March 10, 2021 with Senior United States District Judge Frederic Block’s ruling, which included a precedent-setting determination that federal disability discrimination laws authorize reimbursement of expert fees.

The case charged that Success Academy engaged in practices targeting students with disabilities, in order to force them to withdraw. The practices detailed in the suit included regularly removing the children from the classroom and calling the parents multiple times daily.

“This Judgment provides justice to the children and families who suffered so much,” said Christopher Schuyler, a senior attorney in the Disability Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. “It also underscores the need for schools to cease doling out harsh punishments for minor infractions that can interrupt children’s academic progress and divert them into the school-to-prison pipeline.”

“Success Academy’s harsh, inflexible, one-size-fits-all approach to discipline is at odds with its obligation to reasonably accommodate students’ disabilities,” noted Kayley McGrath, an associate in Stroock’s Litigation Group. “These children and their families were forced to withdraw from the Success Academy network not only because their educational needs were not being met, but also because they were explicitly not welcome there. This Judgment recognizes that children with disabilities deserve access to an accommodating learning environment that approaches their needs not with contempt, but with empathy.”

“Success Academy forced these families to withdraw their children by bullying and daily harassment, instead of providing a quality education free from discrimination,” said Laura D. Barbieri, Special Counsel to Advocates for Justice. “New York’s parents and children deserve better, and we are pleased these families achieved justice.”

The litigation centered on five children, then a mere 4 to 5 years old, with diagnosed or perceived disabilities. Success Academy did not provide appropriate accommodations, and frequently dismissed the students prior to the end of the school day – often for behaviors like fidgeting and pouting. Success Academy also threatened to call child welfare authorities to investigate the children’s families, and even sent one child to a hospital psychiatric unit. Each family eventually removed their child from the Success Academy network.

About New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) is a community-driven civil rights organization that advances equality and civil rights, with a focus on disability justice, health justice, and environmental justice. Through community lawyering, NYLPI puts its legal, policy, and organizing expertise at the service of New York City communities and individuals. NYLPI’s Disability Justice program advocates in all aspects of disability law including fighting to ensure that the thousands of students with disabilities in New York City can access appropriate programs and services. In addition to providing legal representation, NYLPI offers special education law workshops for parents, students, attorneys, and other advocates.

About Advocates for Justice Chartered Attorneys

Advocates for Justice Chartered Attorneys (AFJ) is a public interest law firm whose mission is to ensure that high-quality legal representation is not limited to big corporations and wealthy individuals. The firm believes that working people suffer the bulk of our country’s legal problems: inequitable educational resources, unfair or deceptive credit practices, discrimination in the workplace and in their communities, employers who flout the law, toxic torts and pollution, and so much more. AFJ seeks to close the gap by providing ready access to quality legal service and to seeking justice on behalf of all New Yorkers.

About Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, with 300 attorneys in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, DC, is a law firm providing transactional, regulatory, and litigation guidance to leading financial institutions, multinational corporations, investment funds, and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and abroad. Their emphasis on excellence and innovation has enabled them to maintain long-term relationships with their clients and made them one of the nation’s leading law firms for more than 140 years. Stroock has numerous pro bono clients, including New York City children with disabilities who face discrimination or are denied an education appropriate to their needs.