An administrative law judge ruled that Minneapolis School District educators deprived a student of an education by suspending him 12 times in one school year.

School officials determined that the 15-year-old student, identified as Eric in court documents Wednesday, has an emotional or behavioral disorder. In ninth grade, he was placed into the district's Harrison Education Center, which according to his attorneys is a locked education program for students with emotional and behavioral problems.

On Sept. 24, 2013, Eric was suspended for "disruptive behavior/insubordination." Two days later, he was suspended again for "disruptive behavior/threatened life of staff."

His mother, Erica, filed a complaint in May with the Minnesota Department of Education, protesting the suspensions and requesting a change in the education the district was offering her son.

Eric's attorneys argued that suspensions violated his rights as a disabled student under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

An administrative law judge agreed, saying the district caused Eric a loss of educational opportunity.

"The School District unilaterally changed student's placement through a pattern of suspensions and exclusions that totaled more than 10 school days in one school year," said Administrative Law Judge Steve Mihalchick.

Erica is also seeking more than $50,000 in legal fees from the district.

In August, the Star Tribune reported that suspensions jumped dramatically for Minneapolis public schoolchildren in kindergarten through fourth grade last year, even as school officials faced mounting criticism over inconsistency in doling out punishment.

The Minneapolis district is facing intense scrutiny from the federal government over its suspension practices, particularly for sending minority children home at dramatically higher rates than white children.

Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson has since announced that she was banning suspension for the district's pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade students.

Alejandra Matos • 612-673-4028