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October 6, 2016 VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 38
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LoneTreeVoice.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOLS
Autistic student’s case goes to top court Parents seeking reimbursement for expenses of sending their son to private school By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet speaks during the groundbreaking for the estimated $6.8 million pedestrian bridge project. Photos by Mike DiFerdinando
Pedestrian bridge afoot Construction started in September with completion set for summer By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@colorado communitymedia.com Officials broke ground on the estimated $6.8 million pedestrian bridge project in Lone Tree Sept. 29. The bridge will extend over Lincoln Avenue at Heritage Hills Circle, west of the Charles Schwab corporate campus and Bank of the West. It will connect the Willow Creek Trail, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to get from city amenities like RidgeGate’s Lone Tree Arts Center Bridge continues on Page 8
Fentress Architects, designer of the Denver International Airport terminal, created the leaf pedestrian bridge concept for Lincoln Avenue approved by the Lone Tree Council. This photo illustration shows what the bridge would look like from the perspective of a driver heading west.
Johnson makes first stop in Colorado
Libertarian candidate draws capacity crowd at CU South Denver
Gary Johnson answers questions prior to his rally at CU South Denver. The Libertarian presidential candidate said his goal is to break up the two-party system. Photo by Kyle Harding
By Kyle Harding kharding@colorado communitymedia.com In his first campaign stop in Colorado, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson tried to chart a course for libertarianism as a centrist position rather than one at the fringes of politics. “I think my stance on the issues is actually reflective of most Americans,” the former Republican governor of New Mexico repeated several times to reporters as well as to the
crowd at his Oct. 3 rally at CU South Denver, just west of Parker. “That being: fiscally conservative, socially inclusive, skeptical of wars, skeptical of military interventions, regime change and supporting free markets,” he continued.
Johnson noted that he and his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, were both re-elected as Republican governors in Democratic-majority states. Johnson has polled well in Colorado, the birthplace of the national Libertarian Party,
where the leading presidential candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, are unpopular. He received 1.38 percent of the state’s vote in 2012, and in a CNN poll conducted Sept. 20-25 he got 13 percent among likely voters. Johnson used the rally to hit Trump on two of his signature issues of restricting immigration and free trade, criticize Clinton on her record of supporting military interventions as a senator and the secretary of state, and praise Colorado for embracing personal freedom by legalizing marijuana. Johnson continues on Page 8
The United States Supreme Court has announced it will hear the case of an autistic Douglas County School District student whose parents say he wasn’t provided with the level of public education required by federal law. They are seeking reimbursement for the child’s tuition and related expenses at a private school. The question centers on what educational benefits are guaranteed to a child with disabilities by a public school under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The case, which dates to 2010, will likely not be heard by the Supreme Court until at least 2017. The student involved is identified only as Endrew F. in court documents. He attended Summit View Elementary School in Highlands Ranch. The suit was filed through his parents, Joseph F. and Jennifer F., according to the documents. The attorney for the family is listed as Jack D. Robinson, with Spies, Powers and Robinson, P.C., of Denver. Robinson said the case would prove that the standard of a “free appropriate public education” is set too low, and that students with disabilities deserve a meaningful education. “The Douglas County School District has set the bar woefully low,” he said. Robinson said he has never argued a case before the Supreme Court, but will be working with co-counsel with experience doing so. The case will likely begin with oral arguments in mid-January and have a decision in March or April, Robinson said. He said he is confident in the merits of the case and believes they could have a nationwide impact on schools and students with special needs. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, public schools must provide children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education.”
Court continues on Page 25
PUMPKIN TIME It isn’t autumn without the popular flavoring added to just about everything. PAGE 12