Office for Civil Rights Requires Sandhills Public Schools (NE) to Evaluate Student Who Has PTSD
The Nebraska district told OCR that staff had evaluated the student but didn’t provide records confirming it.
July 8, 2026, U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a resolution letter to Sandhills Public Schools (SPS), based in Dunning, Nebraska, concerning a complaint alleging disability discrimination.
OCR styled the complaint as OCR Complaint No. 07-26-1286 and processed it through its Rapid Resolution Process, an expedited approach OCR may use during the evaluation stage or after it formally notifies the parties that it has opened an investigation.
OCR investigated whether SPS failed to evaluate a student who, because of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), “needed or was believed to need” special education or related services before SPS took action concerning the student’s initial placement in regular or special education.
According to OCR, the complainant alleged the following:
“The Complainant asserted that one of the Student’s teachers (Teacher) discriminated against the Student on the basis of disability when, after the Complainant had provided the District with notice of the Student’s condition, the Teacher yelled at the students during class, which made the Student cry, and indicated that the Student does not have “[c]ommon sense.””
Although the allegation quoted by OCR focused on the teacher’s conduct, the issue OCR investigated centered on whether SPS had evaluated the student under Section 504.
Before OCR completed its investigation, SPS expressed interest in resolving the complaint. SPS voluntarily entered into a resolution agreement July 6, 2026. OCR issued its resolution letter two days later. Because the matter was resolved before the investigation concluded, OCR didn’t make a final determination that SPS violated federal law. However, it did require corrective actions.
