Religious Studies Reimbursable Under IDEA

A Manhattan federal judge (Jessica Clarke) held in Board of Education v. E.L. that New York City cannot exclude the Judaic‑studies portion of tuition when reimbursing parents for a special‑needs placement at a religious school under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The ruling relies on recent Supreme Court precedents against faith‑based exclusions in neutral programs and challenges a common practice in multiple states (and a cited federal regulation) that withholds funding for religious instruction. — It advances the post‑Carson/Espinoza line by applying it to special education, likely forcing policy changes across states that dock or deny reimbursements for religious coursework.