A high school student’s ability to fairly compete on nationally significant standardized exams is at stake following a legal complaint alleging that necessary disability accommodations were repeatedly denied. The complaint was filed by Jane Doe, through her parent Mother Doe, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on March 23, 2026, naming the College Board as defendant.
According to the filing, Jane Doe is a tenth-grade student at Woodward Academy in Atlanta who has been diagnosed with dyslexia and generalized anxiety disorder. She is preparing to take several Advanced Placement (AP) Exams in May 2026 and plans to sit for the SAT Exam in Spring 2027. The plaintiff alleges that despite clear evidence of her disabilities—including multiple expert evaluations and years of documented school-based accommodations—the College Board has twice denied her requests for testing accommodations and failed to respond to a third request submitted in February 2026.
The complaint outlines Jane Doe’s educational history, noting that her disabilities went undetected during early schooling due to flexible assignment timing at Paideia School. Her difficulties became apparent during remote learning prompted by the COVID pandemic, leading to formal diagnoses from Dr. Leslie Munson in 2021 and again in 2024. Dr. Munson recommended “a minimum of 50% additional time on everything she completes.” In January 2025, Doe was also diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder severe enough to require ongoing psychiatric treatment.
Woodward Academy currently provides Jane Doe with extended time on assignments and tests, preferential seating, computer use for written work, assistance with note-taking, and permission to write directly on test booklets. These accommodations are documented by the school and supported by multiple medical professionals.
In 2024, Doe formally requested similar accommodations from the College Board for all its exams: “Reading: Time and one-half (+50%), Writing (Essays/free response): Time and one-half (+50%), Math: Time and one-half (+50%), Large Print (Large Block) answer sheet (No bubbles), Computer (Word Processor for essays ONLY).” Despite submitting detailed documentation—including reports from Dr. Munson—her request was denied by letter dated June 10, 2024. The denial stated that there was not “sufficient evidence that [her] diagnosed disability leads to a functional impairment that would demonstrate the need for the requested accommodations.”
Doe appealed this decision on August 10, 2024 with further documentation but received another denial within four business days. The complaint questions whether this appeal received meaningful review given its quick turnaround. As a result of these denials, Doe took the PSAT exam without accommodations in October 2024 and was unable to complete key sections within the allotted time.
A third appeal was submitted on February 26, 2026 with additional letters from experts including Dr. Jennifer Foster and Dr. Sonali Bora as well as further psychological evaluations; however, as of the date of filing more than three weeks later, no response had been received from College Board despite imminent AP exam dates.
The lawsuit argues that under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), specifically section 42 U.S.C. §12189, entities offering professional or educational examinations must provide reasonable accommodations so individuals with disabilities can participate equally. The plaintiff asserts that “College Board’s repeated refusal…is a violation of the ADA,” causing both academic disadvantage and emotional distress.
The plaintiff seeks an emergency preliminary injunction compelling College Board to provide all requested accommodations for upcoming AP Exams scheduled May 7th (Statistics) and May 8th (US History), as well as future SAT testing opportunities. The complaint states that “AP exams are administered on fixed, nationally scheduled dates that cannot be rescheduled” so any harm suffered would be irreparable if relief is not granted before those dates.
Further relief sought includes permanent injunctive orders requiring accommodation on all future College Board Exams taken by Doe; recovery of attorney’s fees; costs associated with bringing suit; other appropriate legal or equitable remedies; and a jury trial on relevant issues.
The case is represented by attorneys Andrew Y. Coffman (Georgia Bar No. 173115) and Carter A. Augustine (Georgia Bar No. 564893) of Parks, Chesin & Walbert P.C., under Civil Action File No.: 1:26-cv-01560-AT.
Source: 126cv01560_Jane_Doe_v_College_Board_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Georgia.pdf
