The U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with the Park School in Brookline over allegations that it discriminated against a disabled girl, the 5-year-old Harper Oates.
The U.S. Attorney’s investigation found the school violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it denied a student with a disability admission to the school without making an individualized assessment of whether the school could accommodate the student.
The school must now:
- revise its disability non-discrimination policy;
- modify its admissions policies and procedures to ensure full assessment of applicants with disabilities before deciding;
- implement appropriate procedures for responding to requests for reasonable accommodations;
- provide comprehensive training to admissions staff;
- remove architectural barriers in school buildings to ensure all are ADA-compliant.
The Park School is an independent school in Brookline with over 560 students.
