July 31, 2020
Justice Department entered into a settlement agreement with Ridgewood Preparatory School (Ridgewood) under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ridgewood is a private, nonsectarian school that provides education to children in prekindergarten to twelfth grade. The agreement resolves allegations that Ridgewood violated the ADA by denying a child with spina bifida admission to its pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs on the basis of his disability, failing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, and procedures to enable the child to access the school’s programs, and failing to ensure that its buildings and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities. The Department’s investigation found that the school, among other things, had inaccessible doors, walkways, and bathrooms. The three-year agreement requires Ridgewood to offer two years of tuition-free enrollment to the child and, upon enrollment, provide him with reasonable modifications. Ridgewood will also modify its facilities to make them accessible to individuals with disabilities, revise its policies to ensure compliance with the ADA, train relevant staff, and pay a $1,000 civil penalty to the United States.
For more information on the ADA or this settlement agreement, please visit ADA.gov or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 800-514-0383).
Article Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
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