Case: DOJ Investigation of Cedar Rapids Community School District

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Case Summary

This was an out-of-court matter initiated by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (DOJ). The DOJ conducted an investigation into the Cedar Rapids Community School District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The DOJ’s investigation concluded that the District repeatedly employed inappropriate seclusion and restraints practices when engaging with students with disabilities, beginning as early as kindergarten. The DOJ determ…

This was an out-of-court matter initiated by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (DOJ). The DOJ conducted an investigation into the Cedar Rapids Community School District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The DOJ’s investigation concluded that the District repeatedly employed inappropriate seclusion and restraints practices when engaging with students with disabilities, beginning as early as kindergarten. The DOJ determined that instead of meeting the needs of students with behavioral disabilities, the District subdued them through unnecessary restraints and improper confinement alone in small seclusion rooms, sometimes multiple times in one day and often for excessive periods of time. Instead of adequately conducting Functional Behavior Assessments or substantively reviewing or implementing student Behavioral Intervention Plans, the District secluded and restrained students repeatedly, for periods of time beyond what was necessary to alleviate any immediate risk of harm. As a result of these practices, some students lost hundreds of hours of instructional time. They also found that the District did not end seclusion where students showed signs of crisis or trauma, or when there was no longer any threat of harm. 

Following the conclusion of the investigation, the DOJ met with District Administrators in May 2022 to discuss a settlement agreement. The parties reached an agreement on September 12, 2022, in which the District agreed to end certain practices and implement reforms to ensure that students with disabilities were not being discriminated against. Among other steps, the District agreed to end its use of seclusion, limit its use of restraints, revise its restraint procedures and practices, and consistently implement those procedures and practices in all schools. The District agreed to track and report all instances of student removal and restraint and evaluate if they were justified. The agreement further specified that only Crisis Prevention Team members would use physical restraint except in emergencies, approved techniques for physical restraint were to be adopted to ensure restraint was time-limited and not punitive, and counseling or psychological support would be provided to students after a physical restraint. Policies and procedures would be implemented to assess suicide risk, prevent suicide and self-harm, and implement immediate crisis intervention for students who threaten or engage in self-harm. Trained staff would be designated to collect and analyze restraint data, and oversee the creation of appropriate behavior intervention plans. The District agreed to deliver appropriate training and resources to help schools implement the agreement, and hire two new administrators to oversee schools’ use of restraint, if any, and ensure the District’s compliance with the agreement and Title II of the ADA. The District agreed to submit two reports a year until the end of the 2025-2026 school year. The parties anticipated the District would be in substantial compliance with the agreement by June 2026, at which time the agreement would terminate, barring any concerns raised by the DOJ.

As of December 2023, reporting is ongoing.

Summary Authors

Simran Takhar (12/20/2023)

Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

Re: Cedar Rapids Community School District Investigation

Sept. 12, 2022

Sept. 12, 2022

Findings Letter/Report

Settlement Agreement Between the United States of America and the Cedar Rapids Community School District

Sept. 12, 2022

Sept. 12, 2022

Settlement Agreement

Docket

Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 1:32 p.m.

Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.

Case Details

State / Territory: Iowa

Case Type(s):

Disability Rights

Key Dates

Case Ongoing: Yes

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Plaintiff Type(s):

U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff

Attorney Organizations:

U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division

Public Interest Lawyer: Yes

Filed Pro Se: Yes

Class Action Sought: No

Class Action Outcome: Not sought

Defendants

Cedar Rapids Community School District (Cedar), School District

Defendant Type(s):

Jurisdiction-wide

Case Details

Causes of Action:

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12111 et seq.

Special Case Type(s):

Out-of-court

Available Documents:

Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Plaintiff

Nature of Relief:

Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement

Source of Relief:

Settlement

Form of Settlement:

Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree

Order Duration: 2022 - None

Content of Injunction:

Discrimination Prohibition

Reporting

Recordkeeping

Issues

General:

Counseling

Disciplinary procedures

Incident/accident reporting & investigations

Individualized planning

Juveniles

Neglect by staff

Pattern or Practice

Reassessment and care planning

Record-keeping

Records Disclosure

Restraints : physical

School/University policies

Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)

Suicide prevention

Testing

Disability and Disability Rights:

Reasonable Accommodations

disability, unspecified

Discrimination-basis:

Disability (inc. reasonable accommodations)

Medical/Mental Health:

Intellectual/Developmental Disability

Mental health care, general