Summary and Understanding the Oberti Case

Understanding Oberti
Student’s Name
Institution
Understanding Oberti
Summary of the Oberti Case
The Oberti case involved an 8-year-old child, Rafael Oberti, who had Down’s syndrome and was transferred to a special education class in a different school district. Rafael was a student in the Borough of Clementon school district. Before this transfer, Rafael attended a developmental kindergarten class in the morning in his local school and a special education class in the afternoon in a different school district. Rafael made progress in the academic and social aspects but had behavioral challenges such as hitting other children and temper tantrums. Rafael’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) was insufficient in addressing Rafael’s behavioral challenges, hence the decision to transfer him to a special education class.
Rafael’s parents realized that the Clementon school district had no plans to mainstream Rafael and filed for a due process hearing under the Individualized Disability Education Act (IDEA). They argued that Rafael should “be placed in a regular class in his neighborhood elementary school.” Expert testimonies indicated that with supplementary aids and services, Rafael could be mainstreamed. The family also argued that the school district had made no efforts in mainstreaming Rafael to the “maximum extent appropriate” as provided by IDEA. The school district argued that Rafael was not ready for mainstreaming because his behavior problem in the regular class was “extensive and that he had achieved no meaningful educational benefit in the class.”
The district court sided with the Obertis and held that the “School District had violated IDEA” because it did not make “reasonable efforts to include Rafael in a regul...