<i>Lawton et al. v. Success Academy Charter Schools, Inc.</i> (2018): Charter School Disciplinary Approaches and Students With Disabilities

By being public entities, charter schools must meet U.S. federal legislative mandates (e.g., Section 504) in providing a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with disabilities—just as their traditional district public school counterparts must do. This legal update reviews a prominent case, Lawton et al. v. Success Academy Charter Schools, Inc. (2018). The case, which eventually settled for $1.1 million plus legal fees (nearly $1.3 million), serves as an illustration of challenges involving students with disabilities in charter schools using no-excuses disciplinary practices. After the review of the case is presented, ramifications for charter schools failing to accommodate students with disabilities in disciplinary matters are considered. Implications for practice are also discussed.