Storm leads to high surf, road closures

STORM sue school high of 65 in Santa Barbara; a low of 46 and high of 58 in Lompoc; and a low of 47 and high of 57 in Santa Maria. Santa Ynez is expected to experience a low of 47 and a high of 59, and Cuyama is the coldest spot with a low of 41 and a high of 53.

The National Weather Service predicts sunshine throughout the county on Friday, except for Cuyama, which won’t be sunny until Saturday.

Nine-year-old Miguel Perez, the plaintiff, left Mexico with his family and enrolled at Sturgis Public School District in 2004. Mr. Perezwas assigned to a classroom aide and was never given a sign language interpreter - only aides who were either unqualified or absent.

For 12 years, Sturgis allegedly awarded Mr. Perez inflated grades and advanced him from grade to grade despite his actual progress, until just months before his anticipated graduation in 2016 when Mr. Perez’s parents were informed he was only eligible to earn a certificate of completion rather than a diploma.

Mr. Perez’s parents sued the Michigan Department of Education in 2017, saying the Sturgis School District had violated the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.

The lawsuit says Sturgis “failed to provide him with a free and appropriate public education.”

According to a SCOTUS amicus brief submitted by professors Mark C. Weber and Bernard P. Perlmutter in support of the plaintiff:

“Sturgis moved to dismiss the ADA claim, arguing that the IDEA hearing officer did ‘not have jurisdiction’ over non-IDEA issues or claims.…

The hearing officer agreed, dismissing Miguel’s ADA claim as ‘outside [her] jurisdiction…. With only Miguel’s IDEA claim remaining, the parties settled.

The settlement provided Miguel and his family with equitable relief, including sign language instruction, but it neither included compensatory damages nor released Miguel’s ADA claim.”

The Perez family subsequently sought additional compensatory damages for emotional distress under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act laws. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the additional relief due to the IDEA issues being resolved without a hearing.

However, the nation’s top court unanimously agreed in favor of Mr. Perez. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in an eight-page opinion that the case “holds consequences not just for Mr. Perez but for a great many children with disabilities and their parents.”

Justice Gorsuch said the court did not decide on two other issues advanced in briefs and arguments. “The statute’s administrative exhaustion requirement applies only to suits that ‘seek relief … also available under IDEA,” Justice Gorsuch wrote. “And that condition simply is not met in situations like ours, where a plaintiff brings a suit under another federal law for compensatory damages - a form of relief everyone agrees IDEA does not provide.”

Justice Gorsuch wrote that “[N]othing in that provision bars his way. The judgment of the Court of Appeals is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”

Death Notices

CISNEROS, Roberto G., 86. Rosary is set for 7 p.m. March 30 at Welch-Ryce-Haider, 15 E. Sola St., Santa Barbara. Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 31 at Our Lady of Sorrows, 21 E. Sola St., Santa Barbara.

A low of 47 and a high of 67 are expected for Santa Barbara, and it’ll be colder elsewhere. The weather service predicted both Lompoc and Santa Maria will see a low of 39 and a high of 59, while Santa Ynez experiences a broader temperature gap with a high of 61 and a low of 39. Cuyama will remain cold with a low of 37 and high of 51.

Between 4 p.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. Wednesday, rain totals were 1.14 inches in Goleta, 0.43 inch in Santa Maria, 0.39 inch in Lompoc, 0.21 inch in New Cuyama and 0.14 inch in Santa Ynez. Those numbers are from the National Weather Service.

Whatever the rain amounts, the storm’s impact was still seen hours after it ended.

During Wednesday afternoon, the Goleta Pier remained closed while dramatic waves crashed against Goleta Beach.

Elsewhere, “Highway 1 is closed from Solomon Road to Black Road in the Santa Maria area,” Alexa Bertola, public information officer for Caltrans District 5, told the News-Press in an email.

For the latest road closures go to quickmap.dot.ca.gov.

No evacuation orders were issued during the storm, but the weather did lead to the closure of Jalama Road in Lompoc.

“The Shelter in Place for Jalama Road has been canceled,” the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management reported Wednesday afternoon at its website (readysbc.org). “Jalama Road is closed to the public until further notice.

Residents are advised to take caution in the area and to avoid traveling on the road in large/ oversized vehicles.

“New damages should be reported to the County Lompoc Road Yard during normal business hours by calling 805-737-7773,” the Office of Emergency Management said. “If you encounter a lifethreatening hazard or have an emergency, call 9-1-1.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com

This year’s storms have left a positive impact on the county’s reservoirs.

As of Wednesday, Gibraltar was at 101.1% capacity, and the elevation was at 1,400.22 feet.

Lake Cachuma was at 97.3 %, and the elevation was at 751.21 feet. Jameson was at 100.9% capacity, and the elevation was at 2,224.34 feet.

Twitchell was at 56.7% capacity on Wednesday, and the elevation was at 624.07 feet.