A. J. T. v. Osseo Area Schools, Independent School Dist. No. 279

P R E L I M I N A R Y P R I N T
Volume 605 U. S. Part 2
Pages 335–359
OFFICIAL REPORTS
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T H E S U P R E M E C O U R T
June 12, 2025
REBECCA A. WOMELDORF
reporter of decisions
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335
Syllabus
A. J. T., by and through her parents, A. T., et al. v.
OSSEO
AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
DISTRICT NO. 279, et al.
certiorari to the united states court of appeals for
the eighth circuit
No. 24–249. Argued April 28, 2025—Decided June 12, 2025
Multiple federal laws afford protections for children with disabilities in
public schools. Three statutory schemes are particularly relevant to
this case. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides that
no qualifed individual with a disability shall be excluded from participa-
tion in, denied the benefts of, or subjected to discrimination under any
federally funded program solely by reason of her or his disability. Simi-
larly, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits
qualifed individuals with disabilities from being excluded from or de-
nied the benefts of a public entity's services, programs, or activities by
reason of disability. While the antidiscrimination guarantees of Section
504 and Title II apply in a variety of contexts, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) offers federal funds to States in ex-
change for the commitment to furnish the core guarantee of a “free
appropriate public education” to children in public schools with certain
physical or intellectual disabilities. The centerpiece of the IDEA is
the provision of an “individualized educational program,” (IEP) which
“spells out” a plan to meet all of the educational needs of a child with a
qualifying disability. Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, 580 U. S.
154, 158.
Petitioner A. J. T. is a teenage girl with a rare form of epilepsy that
severely limits her physical and cognitive functioning. She suffers from
seizures that are so frequent in the mornings that she cannot attend
school before noon, though she is alert and able to learn from noon until
6 p.m. For the frst few years of her schooling, school offcials accommo-
dated A. J. T.'s condition by permitting her to avoid morning activities
and instead receive evening instruction. But when A. J. T.'s family
moved to Minnesota in 2015, her new school district—Osseo Area Public
Schools, Independent District No. 279—denied her parents' repeated
requests to include evening instruction in A. J. T.'s IEP. Between 2015
and 2018, A. J. T. received only 4.25 hours of instruction daily compared
to the typical 6.5-hour school day for nondisabled students in the dis-
trict. After even further cuts to A. J. T.'s school day were proposed,
her parents fled an IDEA complaint with the Minnesota Department

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336 A.
J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Syllabus
of Education, alleging that the school's refusal to provide afterhours
i
nstruction denied A. J. T. a free appropriate public education. An Ad-
ministrative Law Judge determined that the school district had vio-
lated the IDEA and ordered the school to provide compensatory educa-
tion and evening instruction. Federal courts subsequently affrmed
A. J. T.'s IDEA victory.
A. J. T. and her parents then sued under the ADA and the Rehabilita-
tion Act, requesting a permanent injunction, reimbursement for certain
costs, and compensatory damages. The District Court granted sum-
mary judgment for the school, and the Eighth Circuit affrmed. In so
holding, the Eighth Circuit stated that a school district's failure to pro-
vide a reasonable accommodation was not enough to state a prima facie
case of discrimination under Monahan v. Nebraska, 687 F. 2d 1164,
which requires a plaintiff to prove conduct by school offcials rising to
the level of bad faith or gross misjudgment.
Held: Schoolchildren bringing ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims related
to their education are not required to make a heightened showing of
“bad faith or gross misjudgment” but instead are subject to the same
st andards that apply i n other disabi l ity discr i mi nati on contexts.
Pp. 344–351.
(a) Outside the educational services context, courts of appeals permit
plaintiffs to establish violations and obtain injunctive relief under the
ADA and Rehabilitation Act without proving intent to discriminate.
To obtain compensatory damages, courts generally require a showing of
intentional discrimination, which most circuits fnd satisfed by “deliber-
ate indifference”—a standard requiring only a showing that the defend-
ant disregarded a strong likelihood that the challenged action would
violate federally protected rights. Nothing in the text of the applicable
substantive protections or remedial provisions of Title II of the ADA
or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act suggests that claims based on
educational services should be subject to a distinct, more demanding
analysis. Pp. 344–345.
(b) Some courts, however, have come to apply a heightened intent
standard to ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims in the educational serv-
ices context. This standard traces back to the “bad faith or gross mis-
judgment” rule articulated by the Eighth Circuit in its 1982 decision in
Monahan, in which the Eighth Circuit reasoned that to prove discrimi-
nation under the Rehabilitation Act in the educational context, a plain-
tiff must show “something more than a mere failure to provide” a free
appropriate public education. 687 F. 2d, at 1170. The court explained
a heightened showing of bad faith or gross misjudgment was necessary

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337
Syllabus
to “harmonize” the Rehabilitation Act and the IDEA and to refect the
proper
balance between disabled children's rights, state offcials' respon-
sibilities, and courts' competence in technical felds. Id., at 1171.
In Smith v. Robinson, 468 U. S. 992, this Court similarly tried to “har-
monize” the IDEA's specifc guarantee of a free appropriate public edu-
cation with the protections of other antidiscrimination laws, ultimately
concluding that the IDEA's comprehensive statutory scheme was the
exclusive avenue by which a disabled child or his parents could chal-
lenge the adequacy of his education. Within two years, however, Con-
gress enacted a new provision of the IDEA overturning Smith. That
provision, now codifed at 20 U. S. C. § 1415(l), provides that nothing in
the IDEA “shall be construed to restrict or limit the rights, procedures,
and remedies available under” the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, or other
federal laws protecting disabled children's rights. This provision
makes clear that the IDEA does not restrict or limit rights or remedies
that other federal antidiscrimination statutes independently confer on
children with disabilities. The bad faith or gross misjudgment rule de-
rived from Monahan is irreconcilable with the unambiguous directive
of § 1415(l). In imposing a higher bar for discrimination claims based
on educational services as compared to other sorts of disability discrimi-
nation claims, the Eighth Circuit effectively read the IDEA to implicitly
limit the ability of disabled schoolchildren to vindicate their independent
ADA and Rehabilitation Act rights, thereby making it more diffcult to
secure the statutory remedies provided by Congress. Pp. 345–349.
(c) The school district no longer defends Monahan's asymmetric rule,
and contends instead that bad faith or gross misjudgment is the correct
standard of intent for all ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims, whether
in or out of schools. This argument was not resolved below, was not
raised in the brief in opposition to certiorari, and is outside the question
presented. The Court declines the invitation to inject into this case
signifcant issues that have not been fully presented. Pp. 349–351.
96 F. 4th 1058, vacated and remanded.
Roberts, C. J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. Thomas,
J., fled a concurring opinion, in which Kavanaugh, J., joined, post,
p. 351. Sotomayor, J., fled a concurring opinion, in which Jackson, J.,
joined, post, p. 355.
Roman Martinez argued the cause for petitioner. With
him on the briefs were Peter A. Prindiville, Nicholas Rosel-
lini, and Amy J. Goetz.

338 A.
J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Opinion of the Court
Nicole Frazer Reaves argued the cause for the United
St
ates as amicus curiae urging vacatur. With her on the
brief were Deputy Solicitor General Gannon, Acting Assist-
ant Attorney General Roth, Deputy Assistant Attorney
General Warner, Deputy Solicitor General Stewart, Sydney
A. R. Foster, Ellen Noble, Charles W. Scarborough, Cather-
ine Padhi, and Thomas Wheeler.
Lisa S. Blatt argued the cause for respondents. With
her on the brief were Charles L. McCloud, Aaron Z. Roper,
Laura Tubbs Booth, Christian R. Shafer, and Adam J.
Frudden.*
Chief Justice Roberts delivered the opinion of the
Court.
Petitioner A. J. T. is a teenage girl who suffers from a
rare form of epilepsy that severely limits her physical and
cognitive functioning. When school administrators denied
her certain educational accommodations, A. J. T.'s parents
sued the school district, alleging discrimination on the basis
of disability. The courts below held that A. J. T.'s claims
could not go forward because she had not shown that school
offcials acted with “bad faith or gross misjudgment.” That
standard, the courts explained, applies uniquely in the educa-
tional services context and requires a more demanding show-
*Briefs of amici curiae urging reversal were fled for the Council of
Parent Attorneys and Advocates et al. by Brian Wol fman, Regina Wang,
and Selene A. Almazan-Altobelli; and for Rep. Tony Coelho et al. by
David A. Strauss, Sarah M. Konsky, and Matthew S. Hellman.
A brief of amici curiae urging affrmance was fled for the State of
Tennessee et al. by Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General of Tennessee, J.
Matthew Rice, Solicitor General, Whitney D. Hermandorfer, and Virginia
N. Adamson, Assistant Solicitor General, and by the Attorneys General
for their respective States as follows: Tim Griffn of Arkansas, James
Uthmeier of Florida, Raúl Labrador of Idaho, Aaron M. Frey of Maine,
Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, and Ken Paxton of Texas.
Sonja H. Trainor and W. Stuart Stuller fled a brief for AASA, The
School Superintendents Association et al. as amici curiae.
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ing compared to other sorts of disability discrimination
clai
ms. We consider whether the courts below were right
to require this heightened showing.
I
A
Multiple federal laws afford “diverse” (and occasionally
overlapping) protections for children with disabilities in pub-
lic schools. Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, 580 U. S.
154, 170 (2017); see id., at 170–171. Three are particularly
relevant to this case. Beginning with two broadly applica-
ble such laws, both Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, 87 Stat. 394, as amended, 29 U. S. C. § 794, and Title II
of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 104
Stat. 337, as amended, 42 U. S. C. § 12131 et seq., prohibit
discrimination on the basis of disability in a wide variety
of contexts. See Fry, 580 U. S., at 159. Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act provides: “No otherwise qualifed individ-
ual with a disability . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his
disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied
the benefts of, or be subjected to discrimination under any
program or activity receiving Federal fnancial assistance.”
29 U. S. C. § 794(a). Similarly, under Title II of the ADA,
“no qualifed individual with a disability shall, by reason of
such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied
the benefts of the services, programs, or activities of a public
entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.”
42 U. S. C. § 12132. Both Section 504 and Title II “authorize
individuals to seek redress for violations of their substantive
guarantees by bringing suits for injunctive relief or money
damages.” Fry, 580 U. S., at 160; see 29 U. S. C. § 794a(a)(2);
42 U. S. C. § 12133.
Beyond these generally applicable antidiscrimination laws,
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 84
Stat. 175, as amended, 20 U. S. C. § 1400 et seq., “offers fed-
eral funds to States in exchange for a commitment: to fur-
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340 A.
J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Opinion of the Court
nish” the core guarantee of a “ `free appropriate public educa-
ti
on' . . . to all children with certain physical or intellectual
disabilities.” Fry, 580 U. S., at 158 (quoting § 1412(a)(1)(A)).
1
To that end, once a State accepts the IDEA's fnancial assist-
ance, it must provide “ `special education and related serv-
ices,' ” including “ `instruction' tailored to meet a child's
`unique needs' and suffcient `supportive services' to permit
the child to beneft from that instruction.” Id., at 158 (quot-
ing §§ 1401(9), (26), (29)).
The IDEA's “primary vehicle for implementing these con-
gressional goals is the `individualized educational program'
(IEP).” Honig v. Doe, 484 U. S. 305, 311 (1988). An IEP
“spells out” for each child with a qualifying disability “a per-
sonalized plan to meet all of the child's `educational needs.' ”
Fry, 580 U. S., at 158 (quoting § 1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(II)(bb)). It
is developed through a collaborative process between a
child's parents, teachers, and school offcials. See id., at 158.
But since “parents and school representatives sometimes
cannot agree” on all aspects of an IEP, “the IDEA estab-
lishes formal procedures for resolving disputes,” starting
with administrative review in a local or state educational
agency, followed by the availability of judicial review in state
or federal court. Id., at 159.
B
Petitioner A. J. T. “requires assistance with everyday tasks
l ike wa lk i ng and toi leti ng, ” and suffers from sei zures
throughout the day that create safety concerns and interfere
with her capacity to learn. 96 F. 4th 1062, 1064 (CA8 2024);
see App. 515. Although A. J. T.'s seizures are so frequent
in the morning that she “can't attend school before noon,”
1
The IDEA was previously called “the Education of the Handicapped
Act.” Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, 580 U. S. 154, 160, n. 1
(2017). Congress renamed the law in 1990. See ibid. We refer to the
statute and its predecessor versions as the IDEA throughout this opinion.
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she is “alert and able to learn” from noon until about 6 p.m.
96
F. 4th, at 1064.
2
For the frst few years of her schooling, A. J. T.'s parents
and educators accommodated her condition by permitting
her to avoid activities before midday and to receive evening
instruction at home. See ibid. That changed in 2015 when
A. J. T., then ten years old, moved with her family to Minne-
sota. A. J. T.'s new school district, Osseo Area Public
Schools, Independent School District No. 279, denied her par-
ents' repeated requests to include evening instruction in her
IEP. See ibid. As a result, between 2015 and 2018, A. J. T.
received 4.25 hours of instruction each day, as compared to
the typical 6.5 hour school day for other students. Ibid.; No.
21–cv–1760 (D Minn., Feb. 1, 2023), App. to Pet. for Cert. 8a.
In 2018, as the district prepared for A. J. T. to enter middle
school, it proposed further cutting back the length of her
school day. 96 F. 4th, at 1064. A. J. T.'s parents again
requested that she receive evening instruction and school-
ing hours comparable to her nondisabled peers. See ibid.
School administrators again denied those requests, and also
rejected proposals to maintain at least the same length in-
structional day that A. J. T. had been receiving in elementary
school. Ibid.
“Realizing that an agreement was beyond reach,” A. J. T.'s
parents fled an IDEA complaint with the Minnesota Depart-
ment of Education, alleging that the school's refusal to pro-
vide afterhours instruction denied A. J. T. a free appropriate
public education. See id., at 1064–1065. After a fve day
evidentiary hearing, an Administrative Law Judge deter-
mined that the district had violated the IDEA. Id., at 1065.
The judge ordered the school to provide several hundred
2
Because this case comes to us on review of respondents' motion for
summary judgment, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to
A. J. T. Tolan v. Cotton, 572 U. S. 650, 657 (2014) (per curiam).
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342 A.
J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Opinion of the Court
hours of compensatory education and “add certain services
to
[A. J. T.'s] IEP, including at-home instruction from 4:30
p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each school day.” Ibid.
The school district sought judicial review, and a Federal
District Court affrmed. 2022 WL 4226097, *21 (Minn.,
Sept. 13, 2022). The court agreed with the agency that
school offcials' “steadfas[t] refus[al]” to provide A. J. T. eve-
ning instruction, and “shifting reasons” for doing so, were
based not on A. J. T.'s needs but on concerns of “[a]dministra-
tive convenience”—namely, maintaining “the regular hours
of the faculty.” Id., at *1, *13. The Eighth Circuit subse-
quently affrmed A. J. T.'s IDEA victory, agreeing with the
District Court that the evidence showed that the school dis-
trict's “choice to prioritize its administrative concerns had a
negative impact on A. J. T.'s learning ” and that she “would
have made more progress with evening instruction.” 96 F.
4th, at 1067.
C
A. J. T. and her parents then sued the school district and
the Osseo School Board (collectively, the District) in federal
court, alleging violations of Title II of the ADA and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act. See App. 28–29. They re-
quested a permanent injunction, reimbursement for certain
costs, and compensatory damages. Ibid.
The trial court granted the District's motion for summary
judgment. It acknowledged that A. J. T. is a “qualifed indi-
vidual with a disability” who “was denied the same length
school day as her nondisabled peers based on her disability.”
App. to Pet. for Cert. 20a. But the court held that A. J. T.
failed to state a prima facie case under Section 504 or the
ADA because she did not show that school offcials “acted
with bad faith or gross misjudgment.” Id., at 35a–36a.
The Eighth Circuit affrmed. 96 F. 4th 1058, 1060 (2024).
It explained that, under Circuit precedent, when “alleged
ADA and Section 504 violations are `based on educational
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services for disabled children,' a school district's simple fail-
ure
to provide a reasonable accommodation is not enough to
trigger liability.” Id., at 1061 (quoting B. M. v. S. Callaway
R–II School Dist., 732 F. 3d 882, 887 (CA8 2013)). Rather,
“a plaintiff must prove that school offcials acted with `either
bad faith or gross misjudgment,' which requires ` “something
more” than mere non-compliance with the applicable federal
statutes.' ” 96 F. 4th, at 1061 (frst quoting Monahan v. Ne-
braska, 687 F. 2d 1164, 1171 (CA8 1982); then quoting B. M.,
732 F. 3d, at 887; citation omitted). The panel explained
that, while “A. J. T. may have established a genuine dispute
about whether the district was negligent or even deliber-
ately indifferent,” under the Eighth Circuit's controlling
standard, “that's just not enough.” 96 F. 4th, at 1061.
Since A. J. T. “failed to identify conduct” rising to the level
of bad faith or gross misjudgment, the court said it was “con-
strained to hold that summary judgment was proper.” Ibid.
The panel itself, however, went on to question why the
Eighth Circuit imposes “such a high bar for claims based on
educational services,” when it “require[s] much less in other
disability-discrimination contexts.” Ibid., n. 2 (citing cases
requiring “no intent” for a “failure-to-accommodate claim”
and “deliberate indifference” for damages). “The answer,”
the panel said, “is a lesson in why `[w]e do not . . . add provi-
sions to . . . federal statute[s].' ” Ibid. (quoting Alabama
v. North Carolina, 560 U. S. 330, 352 (2010); alterations in
original). The Circuit's “bad faith or gross misjudgment
rule,” the panel opined, added “without any anchor in statu-
tory text . . . a judicial gloss on Section 504,” based on “spec-
ulat[ion] that Congress intended the IDEA's predecessor to
limit Section 504's protections.” 96 F. 4th, at 1062, n. 2 (cit-
ing Monahan, 687 F. 2d, at 1170–1171). The panel observed
that this rule had “spread like wildfre” in the lower courts,
although it “ha[d] been questioned” along the way. 96 F.
4th, at 1062, n. 2. And since the rule “remain[ed] the law”

344 A.
J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Opinion of the Court
in the Eighth Circuit, the panel was bound to follow it. Ibid.
A.
J. T.'s petition for rehearing en banc was denied, with
three judges dissenting. App. to Pet. for Cert. 44a–45a.
We granted certiorari to resolve the disagreement in the
Courts of Appeals over whether schoolchildren bringing
ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims relating to their educa-
tion must make this heightened showing of “bad faith or
gross misjudgment.” 604 U. S. 1096 (2025).
3
II
A
Outside the context of elementary and secondary educa-
tion, the Eighth Circuit—in line with the general approach
of the courts of appeals—permits plaintiffs to establish a
statutory violation and obtain injunctive relief under the
ADA and Rehabilitation Act without proving intent to dis-
criminate. See, e. g., Hall v. Higgins, 77 F. 4th 1171, 1180–
1181 (CA8 2023); Midgett v. Tri-County Metropolitan Transp.
Dist. of Ore., 254 F. 3d 846, 851 (CA9 2001). To obtain com-
pensatory damages, however, courts of appeals generally
agree that a plaintiff must show intentional discrimination.
See Hall, 77 F. 4th, at 1181; see also S. H. v. Lower Merion
School Dist., 729 F. 3d 248, 262 (CA3 2013) (collecting cases).
On that score, “a majority” of the Courts of Appeals to have
weighed in on the question—including the Eighth Circuit—
fnd the requirement to show “intentional discrimination”
satisfed by proof that the defendant acted with “deliberate
indifference.” Id., at 262–263.
4
That standard “does not
3
Compare I. Z. M. v. Rosemount–Apple Valley–Eagan Public Schools,
863 F. 3d 966, 973, n. 6 (CA8 2017) (collecting cases applying this stand-
ard to “alleged discrimination regard[ing] the education of disabled stud-
ents”), with, e. g., D. E. v. Central Dauphin School Dist., 765 F. 3d 260,
269 (CA3 2014) (applying deliberate indifference standard for compensatory
damages).
4
Lower courts appear to have derived this standard from our caselaw
applying Title IX (which, like the Rehabilitation Act and ADA, was “mod-
eled after Title VI”). Gebser v. Lago Vista Independent School Dist., 524
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345
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require a showing of personal ill will or animosity toward
the
disabled person.” Meagley v. Little Rock, 639 F. 3d 384,
389 (CA8 2011). Rather, to show deliberate indifference, it
is enough that a plaintiff prove the defendant disregarded a
“strong likelihood” that the challenged action would “result
in a violation of federally protected rights.” Ibid.
We hold today that ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims
based on educational services should be subject to the same
standards that apply in other disability discrimination con-
texts. Nothing in the text of Title II of the ADA or Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act suggests that such claims
should be subject to a distinct, more demanding analysis.
The substantive provisions of both Title II and Section 504,
by their plain terms, apply to “qualifed individual[s]” with
disabilities. 29 U. S. C. § 794(a); 42 U. S. C. § 12132. There
is no textual indication that the protections of either disabil-
ity discrimination statute apply with lesser force to certain
qualifed individuals bringing certain kinds of claims.
Nor do the applicable remedial provisions suggest any
such distinction. Both Title II and Section 504 make the
“remedies, procedures, and rights” provided therein avail-
able to “any person.” 29 U. S. C. § 794a(a)(2) (“any person
aggrieved”); 42 U. S. C. § 12133 (“any person alleging dis-
crimination”). That language is expansive and unqualifed,
confrming applicability to every such person, “without dis-
tinction or limitation.” SAS Institute Inc. v. Iancu, 584
U. S. 357, 363 (2018) (quoting Oxford English Dictionary (3d
ed., Mar. 2016)).
How, then, did some courts of appeals come to apply a
heightened intent standard to ADA and Rehabilitation Act
claims concerning educational opportunities? The bad faith
or gross misjudgment rule traces to the Eighth Circuit's
opinion in Monahan v. Nebraska, 687 F. 2d 1164. See 96 F.
4th, at 1061, n. 2. There the Eighth Circuit—in a case in-
U. S. 274, 286, 290 (1998); see also Brief for United States as Amicus Cu-
riae 15–20.
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J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
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volving an IDEA claim and a Rehabilitation Act claim alleg-
i
ng “improper educational placement”—explained its view
that “in order to show a violation of the Rehabilitation Act,
something more than a mere failure to provide” the free ap-
propriate public education “required by [the IDEA] must be
shown.” Monahan, 687 F. 2d, at 1169–1170. That “some-
thing more,” the Eighth Circuit said, is “bad faith or gross
misjudgment,” which in its view “should be shown before a
§ 504 violation can be made out, at least in the context of
education of handicapped children.” Id., at 1170–1171.
5
The Eighth Circuit explained that the bad faith or gross
misjudgment “standard of liability” was consistent with its
“duty to harmonize the Rehabilitation Act and the [IDEA]
to the fullest extent possible, and to give each of these stat-
utes the full play intended by Congress.” Id., at 1171. The
court also concluded that this standard “refect[ed] . . . a
proper balance between the rights of handicapped children,
the responsibilities of state educational offcials, and the com-
petence of courts to make judgments in technical felds.”
Ibid. (“So long as the state offcials involved [did not] depart
grossly from accepted standards among educational profes-
sionals, we cannot believe that Congress intended to create
liability under § 504.”).
B
The Monahan court was not alone in its instinct to try to
“harmonize” the IDEA's specifc guarantee of a free appro-
priate public education, on the one hand, with more broadly
applicable antidiscrimination laws, on the other. Indeed,
just two years later in Smith v. Robinson, 468 U. S. 992
(1984), this Court applied virtually identical reasoning to
hold that the IDEA was “ `the exclusive avenue' through
which a child with a disability (or his parents) could chal-
5
The Eighth Circuit subsequently extended this standard to education
related claims brought under the ADA. See Hoekstra v. Independent
School Dist. No. 283, 103 F. 3d 624, 626–627 (1996).
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lenge the adequacy of his education.” Fry, 580 U. S., at 160
(
quoting Smith, 468 U. S., at 1009).
The plaintiffs in Smith sued a school district under the
IDEA “to secure a `free appropriate public education' ” for
their handicapped child, id., at 994, and “appended” to their
complaint “virtually identical claims . . . under § 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act,” Fry, 580 U. S., at 160 (internal quotation
marks omitted). In “consider[ing] the interaction between”
the two statutes, ibid., the Smith Court looked to “the com-
prehensive nature of the procedures and guarantees” set out
in the IDEA, which the Court thought evinced “Congress'
express efforts to place on local and state educational agen-
cies the primary responsibility for developing a plan to ac-
commodate the needs of each individual handicapped child,”
468 U. S., at 1011; see id., at 1016. In light of this “compre-
hensive scheme,” this Court found it “diffcult to believe that
Congress also meant to leave undisturbed the ability of a
handicapped child to go directly to court” with a Rehabilita-
tion Act claim. Id., at 1009, 1011, 1016. Such a result, the
Court said, would effectively permit a plaintiff “to circum-
vent” and “render superfuous most of the detailed proce-
dural protections outlined” in the IDEA. Id., at 1011–1012.
And “more important, it would also run counter to Congress'
view that the needs of handicapped children are best accom-
modated” through the IDEA's “carefully tailored scheme.”
Id., at 1012.
Congress apparently did not agree. Within two years, it
enacted a new provision of the IDEA, “overturn[ing]” Smith
and “ `reaffrm[ing] the viability' of federal statutes like the
ADA or Rehabilitation Act `as separate vehicles,' no less in-
tegral than the IDEA, `for ensuring the rights of handi-
capped children.' ” Fry, 580 U. S., at 161 (quoting H. R. Rep.
No. 99–296, pp. 4, 6 (1985)). Now codifed at 20 U. S. C.
§ 1415(l), that provision states in relevant part:
“Nothing in [the IDEA] shall be construed to restrict
or limit the rights, procedures, and remedies available
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J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Opinion of the Court
under the Constitution, the [ADA], title V of the Reha-
bi
litation Act [including § 504], or other Federal laws
protecting the rights of children with disabilities, except
that before the fling of a civil action under such laws
seeking relief that is also available under [the IDEA],
the [IDEA's administrative procedures shall frst be
exhausted].”
The plain text of § 1415(l) accordingly “makes clear that
nothing in the IDEA `restrict[s] or limit[s] the rights [or]
remedies' that other federal laws, including antidiscrimina-
tion statutes, confer on children with disabilities.” Fry, 580
U. S., at 157 (quoting 20 U. S. C. § 1415(l)). And that explicit
edict applies “even” to a plaintiff who—“as in Smith itself ”—
seeks relief “that is also available under” the IDEA. Fry,
580 U. S., at 161.
In imposing a higher “bar for claims based on educational
services” as compared to “other disability-discrimination
contexts,” however, the Eighth Circuit in Monahan effec-
tively read the IDEA to implicitly limit the ability of chil-
dren with disabilities to vindicate their independent ADA
and Rehabilitation Act rights. 96 F. 4th, at 1061–1062, n. 2
(recognizing that Congress “rejected Monahan's premise” in
enacting § 1415(l)). And the court thereby made it more dif-
fcult for disabled schoolchildren to secure the statutory rem-
edies provided by Congress in Title II and Section 504.
That approach is irreconcilable with the unambiguous direc-
tive of § 1415(l).
6
The District maintains that Monahan's rule survives
§ 1415(l). That is so, it says, because the Eighth Circuit de-
rived the bad faith or gross misjudgment standard based
solely on Section 504's text, rather than anything to do with
6
Because we address only the application of the heightened bad faith
or gross misjudgment standard of intent to education related ADA and
Rehabilitation Act claims, our opinion should not be read to speak to any
other showing that a plaintiff must make in order to prove a violation of
the respective requirements of those statutes or the IDEA.
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349
Opinion of the Court
the IDEA. Brief for Respondents 24–25. The District in-
sists
that the court's statements that its chosen standard
best harmonized and gave full play to the two statutes, while
also balancing the interests of disabled schoolchildren and
state educational offcials, were mere observations of “the
salutary policy benefts” of an analysis otherwise driven by
the text of Section 504. Id., at 25. And the court's re-
peated references to education of “handicapped children,” it
says, were simply descriptions of the “fact pattern at
hand”—not suggestions that the bad faith or gross misjudg-
ment standard should apply only in that context. Id., at 24.
The District's reading of Monahan is diffcult to square
with what that opinion said. The Monahan court's discus-
sion of Section 504 was inextricably bound with concomitant
references to the IDEA. And its reasoning, at bottom, was
grounded—much like this Court's in Smith—in an effort to
strike what it believed was the appropriate balance between
the two statutes. See Monahan, 687 F. 2d, at 1170–1171.
The District's take on Monahan is simply neither the most
natural nor the most persuasive one. Besides, it conficts
with the Eighth Circuit's own interpretation of its precedent,
including in the case before us. See 96 F. 4th, at 1062, n. 2
(noting that Monahan's rule was rooted in “specula[tion] that
Congress intended the IDEA's predecessor to limit Section
504's protections”); see, e. g., I. Z. M. v. Rosemount–Apple
Valley–Eagan Public Schools, 863 F. 3d 966, 973 (1996);
Hoekstra v. Independent School Dist. No. 283, 103 F. 3d 624,
627 (1996) (“In applying a bad faith/gross misjudgment
standard to § 504, the Monahan court reasoned that such a
standard harmonizes the [IDEA] and § 504.”). So too with
the understandings of other Courts of Appeals. See, e. g.,
Knox County v. M. Q., 62 F. 4th 978, 1002 (CA6 2023).
C
Perhaps sensing the likely fate of Monahan's asymmetric
rule, the District no longer seeks to defend it. See Tr. of
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J. T. v. OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS, INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Opinion of the Court
Oral Arg. 88 (stating that “the parties are in radical agree-
ment”
on the question “whether you have a different stand-
ard in the educational context” (counsel for respondents));
id., at 78 (agreeing “there's no two-tier test” (same)). The
District now contends instead that bad faith or gross mis-
judgment is “the correct standard across the board” for
injunctive relief and damages, “both in schools and out.”
Brief for Respondents 2 (emphasis added). The “infrmity,”
the District says, is not “with Monahan's original interpre-
tation,” but with “the logic of ” later cases that imposed
lower intent standards in other disability discrimination con-
texts. Id., at 24.
“As a general rule,” however, “we do not decide issues”
that were not “resolved below” and are “outside the ques-
tio[n] presented by the petition for certiorari.” Glover v.
United States, 531 U. S. 198, 205 (2001). The District's posi-
tion fails on both counts. A. J. T. asked us to review the
“uniquely stringent `bad faith or gross misjudgment' stand-
ard,” which she characterized throughout her petition as an
“arbitrar[y] depart[ure] from the more lenient standards that
all courts—including the Eighth Circuit—apply to ADA and
Rehabilitation Act claims brought by plaintiffs outside the
school setting.” Pet. for Cert. i; see also, e. g., id., at 32.
For its part, the District never suggested at the certiorari
stage that it thought this case was about anything other than
the two-tiered approach set forth in Monahan.
We agree with A. J. T. that “it would be unfair at this
point” to allow the District “to switch gears and seek a rul-
ing from us that the standard should be” bad faith or gross
misjudgment “across the board.” Norfolk Southern R. Co.
v. Sorrell, 549 U. S. 158, 165 (2007); see Tr. of Oral Arg. 101.
We will not entertain the District's invitation to inject into
this case signifcant issues that have not been fully pre-
sented. See South Central Bell Telephone Co. v. Alabama,
526 U. S. 160, 171 (1999); Sorrell, 549 U. S., at 165. The
question before us “is a narrow one, and we see no need to
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351
Thomas, J., concurring
do more than answer that question in today's decision.” Id.,
at
171−172.
***
That our decision is narrow does not diminish its import
for A. J. T. and “a great many children with disabilities and
their parents.” Luna Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools, 598
U. S. 142, 146 (2023). Together they face daunting chal-
lenges on a daily basis. We hold today that those challenges
do not include having to satisfy a more stringent standard of
proof than other plaintiffs to establish discrimination under
Title II of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act.
The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for
the Eighth Circuit is vacated, and the case is remanded for
further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
It is so ordered.
Justice Thomas, with whom Justice Kavanaugh joins,
concurring.
The Court's opinion correctly resolves the question pre-
sented. I write separately to note that in an appropriate
case, I would be willing to consider the additional issues
raised by the respondents (collectively, the District) at the
merits stage. Although those issues were not properly be-
fore us in this case, they are important and merit our atten-
tion in the future.
We granted certiorari to decide whether Title II of the
Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Reha-
bilitation Act require disabled schoolchildren to satisfy a
“uniquely stringent” standard when seeking relief under
those statutes. Pet. for Cert. i. In other words, we took
the case to decide whether Title II and Section 504 permit
courts to subject one subset of plaintiffs to a higher legal
standard than other plaintiffs, simply because their claims
arise in the school context. At the merits stage, both sides
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Thomas, J., concurring
agreed that the answer must be “no.” Brief for Petitioner
2
–3; Brief for Respondents 2; see also Tr. of Oral Arg. 78.
The Court today agrees with the parties, holding that school-
related claims are subject to the same legal standards as
other claims. Ante, at 345.
At the merits stage, the District asked us to go beyond
the question presented. Specifcally, it urged us to clarify
the particular standards that should apply in Title II and
Section 504 litigation. In most courts of appeals, the opera-
tive standard for discrimination claims under these statutes
turns on the kind of relief sought. To establish a violation
or to obtain injunctive relief, the plaintiff need not prove
intentional discrimination. E. g., Hall v. Higgins, 77 F. 4th
1171, 1180–1181 (CA8 2023); Midgett v. Tri-County Metro-
politan Transp. Dist. of Ore., 254 F. 3d 846, 851 (CA9 2001).
But, to obtain compensatory damages, courts generally
agree that a plaintiff must prove that the defendant was at
least “deliberately indifferent” to federally protected rights.
E. g., Hall, 77 F. 4th, at 1180–1181; Silberman v. Miami Dade
Transit, 927 F. 3d 1123, 1134 (CA11 2019). The District
challenges the no-intent standard, arguing that intent to dis-
criminate should be required to establish a violation or to
obtain any kind of relief. It presses its theory on both stat-
utory and constitutional grounds.
To start, the District argues that the plain text of the un-
derlying statutes prohibit only intentional discrimination.
Section 504 states that individuals with disabilities shall not
“be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefts
of, or be subjected to discrimination” under any federally
funded “program or activity” “solely by reason of her or his
disability.” 29 U. S. C. § 794(a). Title II provides that indi-
viduals with disabilities shall not, “by reason of such disabil-
ity, be excluded from participation in or be denied the bene-
fts of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity,
or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.” 42
U. S. C. § 12132. The District asserts that this statutory
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353
Thomas, J., concurring
language—which prohibits “discrimination” “by reason of ”
disabi
lity—requires a showing of intent to discriminate be-
fore a violation can be established.
Relatedly, the District contends that the underlying stat-
utes do not permit one standard for damages and another
standard for injunctive relief. Title II incorporates the
“remedies, procedures, and rights set forth in [Section 504].”
§ 12133. And, Section 504, in turn, incorporates the “reme-
dies, procedures, and rights set forth in title VI” of the Civil
Rights Act. 29 U. S. C. § 794a(a)(2). Title VI “prohibits
only intentional discrimination.” Alexander v. Sandoval,
532 U. S. 275, 280 (2001); accord, Students for Fair Admis-
sions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 600
U. S. 181, 288–290 (2023) (Gorsuch, J., concurring). This
Court has held that private individuals thus may “not re-
cover compensatory damages under Title VI” unless they
prove “intentional discrimination.” Sandoval, 532 U. S., at
282–283. The District argues that if the incorporation of
Title VI's rights and remedies requires intent for an award
of damages, it should equally require intent for an award of
injunctive relief. I share the District's skepticism that the
same statutory language can mean two different things de-
pending on the relief sought.
The District also raises a constitutional objection, arguing
that the Constitution compels a plaintiff to prove intent to
discriminate before a court may fnd a violation of Title II
or Section 504 or award any kind of relief. See also Brief
for State of Tennessee et al. as Amici Curiae 17–23 (arguing
that constitutional considerations “weigh against Petitioner's
no-intent reading ” (boldface deleted)). Here too, I think the
District may have a point.
Congress enacted Section 504 pursuant to the so-called
Spending Clause. “We have repeatedly characterized . . .
Spending Clause legislation as `much in the nature of a con-
tract: in return for federal funds, the [recipients] agree to
comply with federally imposed conditions.' ” Barnes v. Gor-
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SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Thomas, J., concurring
man, 536 U. S. 181, 186 (2002). “Just as a valid contract re-
quires
offer and acceptance of its terms, `[t]he legitimacy of
Congress' power to legislate under the spending power . . .
rests on whether the [recipient] voluntarily and knowingly
accepts the terms of the “contract.” ' ” Ibid. Thus, this
Court has held that “if Congress intends to impose a condi-
tion on the grant of federal moneys, it must do so unambigu-
ously.” Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halder-
man, 451 U. S. 1, 17 (1981). But, the District argues,
Section 504 unambiguously covers only intentional discrimi-
nation; nothing in the text conveys Congress's intent to im-
pose liability on schools for unintentional discrimination.
The District tells us that a no-intent violation of Title II
is even more dubious. As an initial matter, the District ob-
serves, it is unclear what constitutional authority Congress
has to require a public school, by way of an injunction, to
take an affrmative action such as providing additional in-
struction to a student. Congress enacted the ADA under its
“power to enforce the fourteenth amendment and to regulate
commerce.” 42 U. S. C. § 12101(b)(4). But, the Commerce
Clause does not give Congress sweeping power to protect
“the learning environment” in schools. United States v.
Lopez, 514 U. S. 549, 564 (1995). And, the Fourteenth
Amendment does “not requir[e]” schools to “make special ac-
commodations for the disabled.” Board of Trustees of Univ.
of Ala. v. Garrett, 531 U. S. 356, 367 (2001). Instead, it pro-
hibits only conduct that lacks a rational basis, such as deci-
sions motivated by a “ `bare . . . desire to harm.' ” Cleburne
v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc., 473 U. S. 432, 447 (1985).
The District contends that Title II, which targets “State
[and] local government[s],” § 12131(1)(A), cannot be read to
“ `compe[l]' ” States to “ `expend . . . state funds' ” to accom-
modate people with disabilities “in accordance with federal
standards.” See Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic
Assn., 584 U. S. 453, 463, 476 (2018). After all, the Constitu-
tion “has never been understood to confer upon Congress the
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355
Sotomayor, J., concurring
ability to require the States to govern according to Congress'
i
nstructions.” New York v. United States, 505 U. S. 144, 162
(1992). In the District's view, requiring a plaintiff to prove
intent to discriminate before fnding a violation or award-
i ng an i n junc ti on is necessary to mitigate these anti-
commandeering concerns.
I express no defnitive views on the additional issues
raised by the District here. And, I agree with the Court's
decision to answer only the question presented today. See
this Court's Rule 14.1(a). But, in a case where the District's
additional issues are properly before us, I would be willing
to address them. Whether federal courts are applying the
correct legal standard under two widely utilized federal stat-
utes is an issue of national importance, and the District has
raised serious arguments that the prevailing standards are
incorrect.
Of course, this Court's resolution of these issues could have
signifcant ramifcations for both disability law and discrimi-
nation law more generally. See Reply for Petitioner 24 (ex-
plaining that adopting the District's position would “cause a
sea change in disability law”). That these issues are conse-
quential is all the more reason to wait for a case in which
they are squarely before us and we have the beneft of adver-
sarial briefng. Until then, I hope lower courts will care-
fully consider whether the existing standards comport with
the Constitution and the underlying statutory text.
Justice Sotomayor, with whom Justice Jackson joins,
concurring.
I join in full the Court's opinion, which holds that ADA
and Rehabilitation Act claims regarding educational services
are subject to the same standards applied in other disability
discrimination contexts. In reaching that conclusion, the
Court rightly declines to entertain respondents' newly raised
argument that “bad faith or gross misjudgment” is the cor-
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SCHOOL DIST. NO. 279
Sotomayor, J., concurring
Title II and Section 504 of those Acts. See ante, at 349–351.
I
write separately, however, to highlight a foundational faw
in respondents' theory. Respondents contend that the “bad
faith or gross misjudgment” standard is appropriate because
the statutes require a showing of “improper purpose” or
“ `animus.' ” Brief for Respondents 11–12, 16–17. That is
incorrect. The statutes' text and history, as well as this
Court's precedent, foreclose any such purpose requirement.
Recall that Title II of the ADA provides that “no qualifed
individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability,
be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefts
of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or
be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.” 42
U. S. C. § 12132 (emphasis added). The Rehabilitation Act's
similarly worded prohibition uses the same “by reason of ”
language, with the modifer “solely.” 29 U. S. C. § 794(a).*
That statutory language contains no reference to improper
purpose. To the contrary, the phrase “by reason of ” re-
quires no more than a causal link between the individual's
disability and her “exclu[sion] from” participating in or re-
ceiving the benefts of a covered service, program, or activ-
ity. Ibid.; 42 U. S. C. § 12132. That is the ordinary meaning
of the phrase “by reason of.” See Merriam-Webster's Dic-
tionary (11th ed. 2025), https://www.merriam-webster.com/
dictionary/ by%20reason%20of (defning “by reason of ” as
“because of: due to”); Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Diction-
ary 101 (10th ed. 1996) (defning “because of ” as “by reason
of ”); Webster's Third New International Dictionary 194
(1971) (same). It is also the reading this Court has afforded
*Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act provides: “No otherwise qualifed
individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason
of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied
the benefts of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or
activity receiving Federal fnancial assistance or under any program or
activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States
Postal Service.” 29 U. S. C. § 794(a).

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357
Sotomayor, J., concurring
the statutory phrase on numerous occasions. See, e. g.,
Hu
sted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, 584 U. S. 756, 769
(2018) (“The phrase `by reason of ' denotes some form of cau-
sation”); University of Tex. Southwestern Medical Center v.
Nassar, 570 U. S. 338, 350 (2013) (describing “ `by reason of ' ”
as another way to say “ ` because, ' ” wh ich indicates a
“ `causal relationship' ”).
Persons with disabilities can, of course, lose access to bene-
fts and services “by reason of,” or “because of,” their disabil-
ities absent any invidious animus or purpose. Stairs may
prevent a wheelchair-bound person from accessing a public
space; the lack of auxiliary aids may prevent a deaf person
from accessing medical treatment at a public hospital; and
braille-free ballots may preclude a blind person from voting,
all without animus on the part of the city planner, the hospi-
tal staff, or the ballot designer. See, e. g., Tennessee v. Lane,
541 U. S. 509, 514 (2004) (Title II claim brought by paraplegic
individual who was forced to “craw[l] up two fights of stairs
to get to [a] courtroom”); Liese v. Indian River Cty. Hospital
Dist., 701 F. 3d 334, 338, 340–341 (CA11 2012) (Section 504
claim brought by deaf individual against hospital for failure
to provide adequate methods to communicate with doctors
before they performed a major surgery); National Federa-
tion of Blind v. Lamone, 813 F. 3d 494 (CA4 2016) (Title II
and Section 504 claims regarding access for blind people to
an absentee voting system). The statutes' plain text thus
reaches cases involving a failure to accommodate, even
where no ill will or animus toward people with disabilities
is present.
There can be no question, too, that the statutes impose an
affrmative obligation on covered entities to provide reason-
able accommodations, undercutting any improper-purpose
requirement. Title II of the ADA defnes a “ `qualifed indi-
vidual with a disability' ” to mean an individual who, with
“reasonable modifcations to rules, policies, or practices, the
removal of architectural, communication, or transportation
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Sotomayor, J., concurring
barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services,” is
able
to “mee[t] the essential eligibility requirements for the
receipt of services or the participation in programs or activi-
ties provided by a public entity.” 42 U. S. C. § 12131(2) (em-
phasis added). A separate provision also contemplates that
“a public entity under [Title] II” must provide “reasonable
accommodation[s],” subject to certain exceptions. § 12201(h).
For its part, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act makes
clear that accommodations, such as architectural alterations,
may be required “for the purpose of assuring program acces-
sibility” if alternative accommodations are not available. 29
U. S. C. § 794(c). These affrmative obligations underscore
that the statutes do not require improper purpose to prove
liability. Entities can violate the Acts, for instance, by fail-
ing to install a wheelchair-accessible ramp, without any dis-
criminatory animus.
The statutes' use of the passive voice (“no qualifed indi-
vidual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be
excluded . . . ”) only reinforces that conclusion. 42 U. S. C.
§ 12132; see 29 U. S. C. § 794(a). As this Court has recog-
nized, “Congress's use of the passive voice” often indicates a
“focu[s] on an event that occurs without respect to a specifc
actor,” and therefore without respect to any actor's purpose.
Dean v. United States, 556 U. S. 568, 572 (2009).
If there were any remaining doubt, the history and pur-
pose of the statutes further confrm that Congress never in-
tended to impose an ulterior-purpose requirement. As this
Court recognized in Alexander v. Choate, 469 U. S. 287
(1985), when Congress enacted the Rehabilitation Act, it
“perceived” “[d]iscrimination against the handicapped” as
“most often the product, not of invidious animus, but rather
of thoughtlessness and indifference—of benign neglect.”
Id., at 295; see also id., at 296 (collecting statements by legis-
lators describing the Act as a response to “ `neglect' ” of the
handicapped). As a result, “much of the conduct that Con-
gress sought to alter in passing the Rehabilitation Act would
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be diffcult if not impossible to reach were the Act construed
to
proscribe only conduct fueled by a discriminatory intent.”
Id., at 296–297. That observation applies with equal force
to Title II of the ADA, which Congress modeled on Section
504. Cf. Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, 580 U. S.
154, 159 (2017) (noting the two statutes impose the “same
prohibition” on covered entities).
Consider one of the paradigmatic applications of these two
laws: ensuring the “elimination of architectural barriers” to
provide access for individuals with disabilities. See Alexan-
der, 469 U. S., at 297 (describing this as “one of the central
aims of the [Rehabilitation] Act”). Architectural barriers
like stairs are rarely (if ever) “erected with the aim or intent
of excluding the handicapped.” Ibid. Yet if respondents'
novel rule were the law, ADA and Rehabilitation Act claim-
ants would have to show that a building 's architect acted
with “animus” toward those with disabilities in sketching out
her designs. Brief for Respondents 16. It is hard to imag-
ine any architectural-barrier claim succeeding under such a
standard. Indeed, the total universe of viable claims of that
nature may well be a null set. Respondents' proposed
improper-purpose requirement would thus eviscerate the
core of both the ADA and Rehabilitation Act, leaving mil-
lions of our fellow citizens without the protections Con-
gress intended.
***
In short, there is good reason no court of appeals has
adopted respondents' eleventh-hour argument. Congress
was not naive to the insidious nature of disability discrimina-
tion when it enacted the ADA and Rehabilitation Act. It
understood full well that discrimination against those with
disabilities derives principally from “apathetic attitudes
rather than affrmative animus.” Alexander, 469 U. S., at
296. The resulting laws refect that understanding, and it is
not the Judiciary's prerogative to override Congress's pol-
icy judgments.
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Reporter’s Note
The attached opinion has been revised to refect the usual publication
and citation style of the United States Reports. The revised pagination
makes available the offcial United States Reports citation in advance of
publication. The syllabus has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions
for the convenience of the reader and constitutes no part of the opinion of
the Court. A list of counsel who argued or fled briefs in this case, and
who were members of the bar of this Court at the time this case was
argued, has been inserted following the syllabus. Other revisions may
include adjustments to formatting, captions, citation form, and any errant
punctuation. The following additional edits were made:
p. 340, line 7: “support” is changed to “supportive”
p. 340, line 15: “§ 1414(d)(1)(B)” is changed to “§ 1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(II)(bb)”
p. 358, line 3: “the” is inserted before “participation”