Yes. California has established a two-year statute of limitations on claims in special education cases. A claim for compensatory educational services or reimbursement must be made within two years from when the district’s violations occurred.^[1]

In addition, you cannot simply proceed directly into court to make a claim for reimbursement or compensatory educational services under IDEA. In most cases, you must first make these claims in an administrative due process hearing.^[2] In some instances, it is enough to file and “exhaust” your available administrative remedies by first filing a compliance complaint with CDE.^[3]

1. Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56505(l)[↩]
2. Hoeft v. Tucson Unified Sch. Dist., 967 F.2d 1298, 1303 (9th Cir. 1992); Doe by Brockhuis v. Arizona Dept. of Ed., 111 F.3d 678, 682 (9th Cir. 1997).[↩]
3. Christopher S. v. Stanislaus, 384 F.3d 1205, 1207 (9th Cir. 2004).[↩]