The Justice Department has reached a settlement agreement with Beach Babies Learning Center LLC, in Old Saybrook, to resolve allegations that the center ended the enrollment of a 2-year-old child because the child has autism.
The center will pay $7,341 to the child’s parents and will also implement policies so children with disabilities have equal opportunities to participate in from the center’s programs and it will post a nondiscrimination policy at its facility and its website, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
When this happened, the child was 2 years old, officials said.
“Ensuring that children with disabilities, and their families, have equal access to early education and child care centers goes to the heart of the ADA’s promises and protections,” Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, said. “Beach Babies Learning Center cooperated with the department to address this matter through this agreement, and we hope that this agreement serves as a reminder to other education and child care providers about their responsibilities under the ADA.”
The child’s pediatrician conducted a physical and mental exam and determined the child was healthy and could participate in programs at the center, according to the Justice Department.
“Autism is just one of many serious disabilities that affect so many families in Connecticut, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that every child has equal access to early learning centers, public and private, and can participate in all of the programs that are available,” U.S. Attorney David Fein said in a statement.
