⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

Real court arguments, crisp audio, with context.

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Weatherford Independent School District v. K.L. — 5th Cir. (Aug 31, 2026)

No. 26-10252 Argued August 31, 2026 Published September 1, 2026; updated September 6, 2026

The Fifth Circuit hears an appeal by K.L. under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. A Texas hearing officer found Weatherford Independent School District denied K.L. a FAPE—a free appropriate public education—and awarded a year at Calo Programs or a comparable approved residential facility as compensatory education—services meant to make up for that denial. The district court declined to order interim funding. On September 4, 2026, the Fifth Circuit remanded, holding that stay-put requires the hearing officer's placement while review continues and directing the district court to address the stay-put order promptly with the pending summary-judgment motions.

Weatherford Independent School District v. K.L. (No. 26-10252) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued August 31, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/26/26-10252_08-31-2026.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/oral-argument-recordings/results?from=2026-08-01&to=2026-09-01
Argument calendar — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/court-calendars/sitting?d=2026-08-31
Opinion — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/26/26-10252.0.pdf
Appellate docket — Justia:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca5/26-10252
Opinion copy and decision metadata — Justia:https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca5/26-10252/26-10252-2026-09-04.html
Preliminary-injunction order — U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (via Justia):https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/texas/txndce/4%3A2026cv00108/414540/20/0.pdf
District-court docket — Justia:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/texas/txndce/4%3A2026cv00108/414540
20 U.S.C. § 1415 — U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section1415&num=0&edition=prelim
34 C.F.R. § 300.518 — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations:https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-III/part-300/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRb4f968895589ff4/section-300.518
34 C.F.R. § 300.518 — Cornell Legal Information Institute:https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/34/300.518
Compensatory education — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/17/17-40796-CV0.pdf
Compensatory services guidance — U.S. Department of Education:https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/return-to-school-roadmap-development-and-implementation-of-ieps/
Mark S. Whitburn — Whitburn & Pevsner:https://www.whitburnpevsner.com/mark-whitburn
Mark S. Whitburn — Law360:https://www.law360.com/firms/whitburn-pevsner/attorneys/mark-s-whitburn
Grant Moore — Leasor Crass:https://leasorcrass.com/staff/grant-moore/
Grant Moore — Law360:https://www.law360.com/firms/leasor-crass/attorneys/grant-moore

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