WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia alleging that its treatment and segregation of students with disabilities in the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) Program violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleges that Georgia's administration of its mental health and therapeutic educational services for students with behavior-related disabilities unnecessarily segregates students with disabilities in GNETS when they could appropriately be served with their peers in general education settings.
The community integration mandate of the ADA and the Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead v. L.C. require states to make services available to people with disabilities - including children with behavioral disabilities - in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.
The Justice Department said its complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief.
Approximately 4,600 students with disabilities are currently in GNETS.
The lawsuit is the first challenge to a state-run school system for segregating students with disabilities.
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