Sedona AZ (March 27, 2016) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor:

On Tuesday, March 22, 2016, a Senior United States District Judge, James A. Tielborg, of the U.S. District Court of Arizona filed a judgement in favor of myself, the pro se parent Plaintiff and against the Defendant, Sedona Oak-Creek Unified School District (“SOCUSD”) in the federal case CV-14-08166-JAT. In his associated Order filed the same day, Judge Tielborg also awarded  200 hours of Special Education Services and twelve hours of Occupational Therapy to be provided by SOCUSD to my autistic son.

SOCUSD was represented by attorneys from Hufford, Horstman, Mongini, Parnell & Tucker law firm based out of Flagstaff (AZ).

This was the first federal lawsuit against SOCUSD that has been filed by either an attorney or lay advocate since the SOCUSD inception nearly twenty years ago. Due to the extreme expense of hiring an attorney, I have been representing myself and my autistic son in federal court; a right guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) the federal regulation governing the education of children with disabilities.

I look forward to provide SOCUSD the opportunity to fulfill its past obligations toward my son’s education.

Matthew Oskowis
Sedona AZ

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