The Lora Case: Nonbiased Referral,Assessment,and Placement Procedures

Abstract

Lora v. Board of Education of the City of New York, a suit filed to correct abuses in the identification and placement of Black and Hispanic students in segregated special day schools for students disabled by emotional disturbance, was decided by a consent decree agreement contained in a court order issued in 1984 following a 9-year history of testimony, decisions, appeals, consent orders, and judgments. Monitoring of the final order continues until 1986. An unusual aspect of the process in Lora was the appointment by the court from nominees suggested by the parties to the suit of a special advisory panel of experts on special education programming to provide advice and technical assistance regarding nonbiased assessment and placement procedures. This article describes the history and resolution of the Lora litigation, and the standards and procedures intended to prevent future discriminatory practices or to detect them as soon as they occur put forward in the final order.