Parents prevail in court, son will attend Westlake

A Newbury Park family is celebrating this week after receiving a judge’s decision on their son’s schooling.

The judge ruled against the Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), ordering it to allow the 14-year-old special needs boy to join his sibling at Westlake High School (WHS). The district had recommended the boy attend Newbury Park High School (NPHS).

“The district had no justifiable reason for refusing him,” the boy’s father said. The family prefers not to be identified to protect their children’s privacy.

The family and the district are still awaiting a second decision by the judge regarding the parents’ request that the district provide an aide for extracurricular activities on campus so the boy can enjoy a full high school experience. The district had provided a full-time aide in the classroom for the past seven years at Cypress Elementary and at Sycamore Canyon Middle School.

The boy has had seizures for the past eight years since contracting viral encephalitis from a mosquito bite. His was the first case in Ventura County and doctors didn’t expect him to survive, according to his father. The seizures have decreased significantly, but when he does have one, the boy needs someone there to protect him from injury.

According to the judge’s statement, the district felt that although WHS could meet the boy’s educational needs, the campus was not easily accessible in case of emergency. The judge disagreed, citing both NPHS and WHS as equally accessible.

CVUSD is unable to comment on the case due to confidentiality issues, according to Janet Cosaro, director of special education, but the district will not appeal.

Since school began in August, the district has been sending an aide to the family’s home five hours a week as part of a homeschooling program until the case was resolved. The father said the family is thrilled that the boy will now be able to attend WHS.

The district must schedule a meeting, as required by federal statute, within 10 days to plan an educational program tailored to the boy’s needs.