In a matter of first impression, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed who has authority to act as the “parent” for purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The Third Circuit unanimously reversed and remanded a decision by U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones II of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that a child’s cousin, with whom the child lived with, didn’t qualify as a parent under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to the appellate court’s June 14 opinion.