Disability Rights Puerto Rico Project #50111

At great risk of being left behind

by Servicios Legales de Puerto Rico, Inc.

Project Report | Oct 26, 2026
Ensuring Equal Access to Education

By Rebeca Dorna | Communications

Y.R.M. is a student enrolled in Puerto Rico's Special Education Program with diagnoses that include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disabilities, among others. To ensure he received an appropriate education, the Department of Education placed him in a private school when suitable alternatives were unavailable within the public school system.

Although the placement was funded by the Department of Education, Y.R.M.'s mother was required to pay for the student's school lunches. Believing that these costs should be covered as part of her son's right to free and appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), she filed a complaint against the Department.

The Department argued that meal services were not a required benefit and sought dismissal of the complaint. Unable to absorb these additional expenses, the family turned to Puerto Rico Legal Services for help.

Our Special Education Project undertook the representation, advocating for the student's right to receive all services necessary to ensure equal access to education, including meal services that are routinely provided to students in the public school system.

Because the facts of the case were undisputed, the parties agreed that the issue was purely a question of law. Following legal briefing by both sides, the Administrative Forum ruled in favor of the student.

The decision affirmed that a student placed in a private school by the Department of Education due to the lack of appropriate public-school alternatives must receive the same benefits available to students in the public system, including free meal services. The Department was ordered to reimburse the mother $1,212.20 for lunch expenses she had already paid and to recognize meal services as an authorized benefit for similarly situated special education students placed in private schools.

This outcome removed a financial burden from the family and established an important precedent that promotes equal treatment for students with disabilities. Through specialized legal advocacy, Puerto Rico Legal Services helped ensure that a vulnerable student received the full educational benefits to which he was entitled.

Because of donor support, families facing educational barriers can access high-quality legal representation at no cost, helping students with disabilities obtain the services they need to succeed in school and ensuring that economic hardship does not stand in the way of educational opportunity.

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Jul 9, 2026
Ensuring Access to Education for Ismael

By Rebeca Dorna | Communications

Ismael (a pseudonym to protect his identity) is a 15-year-old student with Level 3 autism enrolled in the Department of Education’s Special Education Program. For several months during the 2025–2026 school year, Ismael remained at home without receiving educational or related services, placing him at high risk of academic and social regression.

Faced with this situation, his family turned to the Special Education Project of Puerto Rico Legal Services (PRLS), who had previously provided them with legal representation. Through this intervention, on December 10, 2025, a Final Resolution was issued ordering the Department of Education to place Ismael in a specialized school through the purchase of educational services, as well as to provide compensatory services for those not delivered.

Despite the order, the agency failed to comply in a timely manner. Ismael remained out of school due to administrative delays, including the failure to issue the authorization letter, errors in the official system, and the lack of coordination of transportation services with a required aide—services clearly established in his Individualized Education Program (IEP).

In response to this noncompliance, the PRLS legal team not only advised the family regarding their rights but also took affirmative legal action to enforce the resolution. A formal demand letter was submitted to the Department of Education, emphasizing its legal obligation to comply with administrative orders and urging immediate action.

At the same time, PRLS supported the family throughout the educational process by participating in IEP Committee meetings. During these meetings, the IEP was amended to properly include transportation services with an aide, removing additional barriers to the student’s school access.

After months of persistent advocacy, agency coordination, and strategic legal intervention, the expected outcome was finally achieved: on April 29, 2026, Isaac began attending the specialized school, receiving the educational and support services he needed. Ismael transitioned from being out of the school system for months to being fully integrated into an educational setting appropriate to his needs. Compliance with an administrative order was secured.

This case demonstrates how timely legal representation can make the difference between exclusion and meaningful access to education. Without PRLS’ intervention, Ismael would have remained out of school for a longer period, deepening developmental gaps.

Thanks to your support it is possible to continue providing these essential legal services to families who would otherwise face complex administrative and legal systems alone.

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Mar 16, 2026
Ensuring Appropriate Education for a Child in Need

By Rebeca Dorna | Communications

We would like to keep you updated on some of the progress of our initiatives in the Special Education Project with another success story.

Our client was a 13-year-old student in the Special Education Program who presents specific learning disabilities. Although his Individualized Education Program (IEP) established essential accommodations for his progress, these were not being implemented. His mother filed a complaint with the Department of Education to defend her son’s rights. It was then that she came to our Special Education Project, which assumed legal representation.

After providing guidance to the family, it was agreed to withdraw the complaint because the allegations, as presented, were not yet ripe for litigation and to exhaust processes in COMPU (IEP team) meetings.

For months, our staff participated actively in multiple meetings, reviewing progress reports, advocating for the corresponding accommodations, and ensuring that the family’s voice was heard.

To ensure an appropriate educational recommendation, we arranged for a school psychologist to visit the school and conduct an independent evaluation. Her findings were crucial: the child needed a regular education setting in small groups and a traditional structure that would better support his needs.

Thanks to the project’s intervention, an IEP aligned with his needs was established: the COMPU accepted all expert recommendations, and a new IEP for the 2025–2026 school year was approved with the appropriate services and accommodations without the need for an administrative complaint.

During the process, an appropriate school was identified and eventually enroll the student there, where the staff committed to implementing the IEP as established. Subsequent meetings confirmed that the student was receiving all educational services in accordance with his IEP.

With the controversies resolved and his rights successfully protected, the student gained full access to the services that allow him to learn, grow, and develop his potential.

Thank you for your continued support of our project. Your contribution makes it possible to carry out independent expert evaluations and to provide ongoing advocacy for the right of all children to a free and appropriate public education.

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