Disabled woman sues school district

Rachael Levy

Friday, Aug. 1, 1997 | 9:10 a.m.

A 19-year-old disabled woman and her parents sued the Clark County School District and School Board over a dispute involving alleged inadequacies in the young woman's education.

Mayi Rosenbaum and her parents, George and Wanda, of Las Vegas, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to force the school district to comply with the terms of a settlement reached in January 1996.

The school district and Nevada Board of Education hearing officers believe educators have met those terms, which required the district to develop an individualized education program for Mayi and provide her with use of a home computer to assist her studying.

Mayi has multiple disabilities, including attention deficit disorder and cerebral palsy. For most of her youth, she attended public school. But her parents' frustration with Clark County educators prompted them to enroll her in a private school in 1995. Mayi received her high school diploma in June.

The settlement, agreed to after the Rosenbaums filed a formal complaint seeking reimbursement for the private school tuition, was not followed, said Nevada Disability Advocacy and Law Center attorney Gloria Stendardi.

The school district delayed in developing an individualized education program and did not provide the computer or specialized software when promised, the suit alleged.

Mayi's parents said they were forced to hire a private tutor, and their daughter claims to have missed social, educational and vocational opportunities.

But a state hearing officer last April found the school district had met its obligations, although the delivery of some items was untimely.

"This harm is mitigated by other evidence showing that the student was able to achieve reasonably good grades," the hearing officer's report said. Mayi has aspirations of attending college, but needs additional training on the computer, the lawsuit alleged.

Among other claims, the Rosenbaums' lawsuit seeks to force the school district to provide that training and computer equipment and reimburse the family for the cost of the private tutor needed during Mayi's senior year.