October 29, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 Midland Park Board settles challenge on student placement An eighth-grade autistic student residing in Midland Park will be allowed to finish his education at a school selected by his parents but not sanctioned by the school district. The Midland Park Board of Education last week approved a settlement with the 14-year-old’s parents to allow him to continue attending the Lewis School, an unaccredited, unapproved private school in Princeton. The 200-student non-profit school caters to students with learning differences related to dyslexia, auditory pro- cessing and attention. Under the terms of the settlement, the school district will reimburse the parents $45,850 for tuition and related expenses they paid from April 2013 through July 2014 and will pay up to $42,500 for the current school year. The board will continue to reimburse the parents for the Lewis School’s annual tuition costs and related expenses until the student completes his 12 th year in 2019. He will Midland Park High School participated in a law enforce- ment drill last week involving local and county officials and resources. The school was locked down and lockers were searched during the nearly two-hour two-pronged operation. No criminal charges stemmed from the search, accord- ing to Acting Police Chief Michael Powderley. Canine officers were used to identify drugs or contra- band that may have been present in the lockers, student knapsacks and vehicles in the school’s parking lot. The drill was a planned, proactive initiative of the school district, the Midland Park Police Department Detective Bureau and the Bergen County Sheriff Department aimed at maintaining a safe and secure school environment for all members of the school community. According to MPHS Principal Nick Capuano, the activity was part of a continuing and evolving plan, which includes educational, prevention and enforcement activities. The use of local and county police resources, including canine (continued on page 29) Lock down drill held at high school then receive a Midland Park High School diploma. Should the family move from the district, payments will be dis- continued. The parents will be responsible for all transportation costs and arrangements and for any expenses incurred above and beyond the amounts stipulated in the settle- ment. These include medical services, supportive and/or therapeutic services and incidental and miscellaneous expenses such as books, recreation fees, materials and supplies., The Midland Park school district developed individu- alized education plans (IEP) for the student which des- ignated placement at the Banyan School in Fairfield, an approved out-of-district school, for the 2013-14 and 2014- 15 school years. The parents disagreed with the plan and “unilaterally” placed their child at Lewis School. In August the parents filed “request for due process” with the Office of Administrative Law of the NJ Depart- ment of Education claiming that the placement selected by the board was inappropriate and deprived their child of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and seek- ing reimbursement of all costs expended by them. The agreement between the two parties was reached amicably to avoid the time and expense associated with further litigation, according to the agreement. The parents agree to indemnify and hold forever harmless the board of any liability for any alleged failure to provide a FAPE for so long as the student remains at Lewis School. The agreement also acknowledges that the board has no control or supervision over the Lewis School and that the parents shall not seek the district’s intervention with regard to any of the services offered by Lewis School.