The Connecticut State Board of Education recently ruled that the Lyme-Old Lyme School District failed to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to a fourth-grade student with dyslexia. As a result, the district must reimburse the family for tuition at The Southport School, a specialized program for students with learning and attention disabilities, as well as transportation costs.

The hearing officer determined the district’s program was “woefully inadequate” after the student fell significantly behind in reading and math at Mile Creek Elementary School, despite school-reported progress. Independent assessments revealed the student was functioning far below grade level, prompting the parents to enroll the child at The Southport School in third grade and request reimbursement.

The decision mandates reimbursement for tuition from 2023-2025, compensatory tuition for the 2025-2026 school year, and transportation costs.

Attorney Jeffrey Forte, who represented the family, noted that the hearing officer’s ruling “speaks for itself.”

For more details, you can publicly access the Connecticut State Department of Education Hearing Officer’s fully adjudicated Final Decision and Order here.

The CT Examiner also wrote an article about this decision, entitled “Lyme-Old Lyme Ordered to Pay For ‘Woefully Inadequate’ Education for Student with Dyslexia.” To access the CT Examiner article, click here.