Montgomery County Board of Education v. Moon-Williams

PITTMAN, Judge.

This is a discretionary appeal by the Montgomery County Board of Education (“the Board”) from a hearing officer’s decision, pursuant to former § 16 — 24—10(a), Ala.Code 1975,1 overturning the Board’s 20-day suspension without pay of Sondra Moon-Williams, a tenured special-education teacher at Carver High School in Montgomery. We reverse.

Facts and Procedural History

Special education for public-school students with disabilities is governed by the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (“the IDEA”), 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400-1491. The IDEA requires that each student with a…