The United States Department of Justice notified the Special School District of St. Louis (SSD) that it found the district’s practices in violation of its own policies, Missouri law and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act Feb. 23. 

SSD, a county-wide district for students with disabilities and for career and technical education, consists of five special education schools in addition to partnerships with 22 public school districts in St. Louis County to follow Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). 

The two-year investigation conducted by the Justice Department focused on the five SSD-operated schools, which serve the minority of disabled students who do not attend their home district. It found that the district discriminates against its students with the overuse of policies that routinely, ineffectively and sometimes abusively seclude and restrain students, often resulting in repeated incidents of student distress and self-harm. These findings, stretching back to May 2024, were delayed because SSD failed to cooperate with the probe fully. The Justice Department noted that it may have understated the problems it found due to this noncompliance.

In the 2024-25 school year, 642 students in the Ladue Schools district received special education services from SSD. As of today, the Justice Department has not singled out Ladue as a district of concern, and it is unclear what the ruling means for the students and SSD staff here.

In their public notification letter, the Justice Department stated that they may take appropriate action, including a lawsuit under Title II, if they were unable to reach a resolution with SSD. However, they have not filed any actual litigation — for now, their strike is only a warning.

This is a developing story. Information is still being confirmed, and some details may change as the situation evolves. 

Read the full U.S. Department of Justice report here.