California IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Mentally Disabled Girl Wins Lawsuit

In a decision hailed by advocates for the handicapped, a federal judge ruled that a 9-year-old mentally disabled girl should be allowed to attend a regular public classroom. U.S. District Judge David Levy rejected the argument of Sacramento City Unified School District officials that Rachel Holland should spend at least half of her time in a special-education class. Rachel, who has an IQ of 44, is in a regular second-grade class in a private school, but her parents want her enrolled in a regular class in the public school district. Sid Wolinsky, an attorney for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund in Berkeley, which represented Rachel, said the case was watched by school districts and parent groups across the nation. “It’s a resounding victory for disabled children and their parents,” he said.