Supreme Court case centers around lawsuit filed by deaf student.

The question for the justices involves a federal law that guarantees disabled students an education specific to their needs.

Lawyers for Miguel Luna Perez, a deaf student, claim that the school system failed to provide him with a qualified sign language interpreter and misled his parents.

Just before graduation, Perez's family was told he only qualified for a "certificate of completion," not a diploma.

 The family pursued claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The IDEA guarantees children with disabilities a free public education tailored to their specific needs.

Perez's family and the school district settled the IDEA claims, but the family then sought monetary damages under the ADA in federal court.

Lower courts said that to sue under the ADA, Perez should not have agreed to a settlement.

Former federal education officials argue that upholding the lower court decision would hurt children with disabilities by forcing them to choose between immediate relief and preserving other claims.

The Biden administration is also urging the court to side with Perez.

A national school board association and an association of school superintendents believe lower courts were right, and ruling otherwise would weaken the IDEA's collaborative process to resolve issues and lead to more lengthy and expensive court proceedings.