Articles:
NEW: https://www.scotusblog.com/2023/03/court-rules-for-deaf-student-in-education-law-case/
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/supreme-court-seems-in-favor-of-deaf-students-right-to-sue-school-district-under-the-ada/2023/01
https://thehill.com/opinion/education/379665-for-our-childrens-sake-keep-the-federal-guidance-on-school-discipline
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-11/lausd-campus-shutdown-lawsuit-child-advocacy-groups-file-suit-against-lausd-to-partially-reopen-schools
Below are some of Ms. Casillas’ representative cases resulting in decisions :
(NOTE that most cases are resolved without the need for a due process hearing or federal / state court litigation)
2023
Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools: Alexis co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of a number of nonprofit organizations before the United States Supreme Court regarding when students must exhaust IDEA administrative hearings prior to bringing ADA or Section 504 Claims. Oral arguments can be listened to or read at https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2022/21-887 and brief can be found at https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21-887/246668/20221116141113015_21-887%20Perez%20v%20Sturgis%20Brief%20for%20Amici%20Curiae%20The%20Arc%20of%20the%20US%20et%20a.pdf
Read the unanimous opinion at https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-887_k53m.pdf
Student v. Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District: Alongside Jennifer Chang, Student was able to demonstrate a number of FAPE violations and obtained (through decision and post-decision negotiations) the desired compensatory education services he required.
2022
D.R. v. Redondo Beach Unified School District: Alexis co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of a number of nonprofit organizations before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the IDEA’s Least Restrictive Environment mandate and when schools can move students into more restrictive settings. Decision (pending publication) can be read here: https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2022/12/20/21-56053.pdf
2021
Student v. Bellflower Unified School District: Alongside LRLC attorney, Steven Catron, the Student challenged the appropriateness of their COVID-19 programming. Student prevailed and obtained a significant compensatory education award. https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OAH/Case-Types/Special-Education/Services/-/media/Divisions/OAH/Special-Education/SE-Decisions/2021/2021---July/2021040043AccMod.pdf
D.D. v. Los Angeles Unified School District: Alexis, alongside other LRLC attorneys, served as co-counsel with Ms. Parks, and Ms. Van Dyke in representing a student’s non-IDEA rights post-IDEA settlement agreement through the Ninth Circuit’s en banc hearing, and petition for certiorari before the United States Supreme Court. Said case was treated favorably alongside its related case, Perez v. Sturgis (discussed above).
2020
Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Learning Rights Law Center v. Los Angeles Unified School District: Alongside Milbank and Vanaman German, LOAC has filed for a Writ of Mandamus in the California Supreme Court. Petition can be found at https://allianceforchildrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads/Alliance-for-Childrens-Rights-Petition-for-Writ-of-Mandate-Case-No.-S266055.pdf.
2018
Sch. Dist. of Philadelphia v. Robert Kirsch, Karen Mishner, Parents of A.K.: Alexis assisted in drafting an amicus brief to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals regarding standard of review, the deference owed to hearing officers, and the appropriateness of the remedies ordered by the district court.
2017
Endrew F. v. Douglas County Sch. Dist.: Alexis co-authored an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court regarding the amount of educational benefit school districts must provide to students with disabilities under the IDEA. The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously for the Petitioner Endrew F., holding that a school must offer an IEP reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.
Fry v. Napoleon Community Schs.: Alexis assisted in drafting an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court addressing whether students seeking to assert claims under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or the ADA claim against a public school have to exhaust IDEA administrative remedies before pursuing the non-IDEA claims in federal court. In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court agreed with the petitioner that exhaustion is unnecessary when the gravamen of the suit is something other than the denial of the IDEA's core guarantee of a "free and appropriate public education" and remanded the case for analysis.
Avila v. Spokane Sch. Dist.: Alexis co-authored an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the IDEA statute of limitations.
2016
J.D. v. New York Dep't of Educ.: Alexis co-authored an amicus brief to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the deference due to hearing officer decisions.
Student v. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District: Alexis first-chaired an Administrative Hearing and, after decision, also brought Section 504 and ADA claims case against SMMUSD alleging that the continuum of special education placement options available at Santa Monica High School was discriminatory because it denied students with disabilities the opportunity to achieve A-G credits necessary for college eligibility.
2015
D.B. v. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District: Successfully persuaded a federal district court that the Office of Administrative Hearings had erred in ruling in favor of the school district in the administrative proceeding below. She won reimbursement for costs that D.B.'s family incurred in providing her with an appropriate program at a nonpublic school. After the District appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, she briefed and argued the appeal, in which a Ninth Circuit panel unanimously affirmed the district court's judgment.
2014
B.P. v. Downey Unified Sch. Dist.: Alexis brought an action against the Downey Unified School District alleging violations of Section 504 and the ADA.
2010-2012
Student v. Ravenswood City School District: In her first hearing LOAC obtained one of the largest compensatory education awards ever issued by the Office of Administrative Hearings. This decision was upheld by the United States District Court for the Northern District. Because of her work on this case, LOAC was invited to present at the 2011 COPAA conference regarding the precedent she set regarding the statute of limitations in IDEA cases. Based on her experience from the Ravenswood case, she has since given numerous presentations on the systemic due process disparities students with limited financial means face in accessing the reimbursement remedies established by the Supreme Court's Burlington decision.