-
Brown v. Board of Education
Landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling where a 9-0 decision stated separate was inherently unequal. https://www.acslaw.org/?post_type=acsblog&p=10186 -
Public Law 88-164
Also more commonly know as the Community Mental Health Act (CMHA). Helped provide federal funding for mental health centers and research facilities. Brought on by JFK the CMHA helped train professionals to work with children.
https://behavioralhealthintegration.com/2013/10/31/john-f-kennedys-community-mental-health-act-of-1963/ -
Section 504 of Public Law 93-112
PL 93-112 also known as, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 had the important section 504 included. This section allowed for more civil rights towards people with disabilities. A key component made it illegal to deny participation in activities or programs based solely off of a disability. It also expanded the IDEA criteria for students to be considered for additional services under Section 504.
http://www.projectreachonline.org/sped_laws?article_id=171 -
Public Law 94-182
Also known as, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA). The EAHCA was supposed to allow for education for all handicapped students that helped cater to their specific needs. The amount of spending was up to $3 billion by 1982 but dropped to $1 billion by 1990.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/idea35/history/index_pg10.html -
Public Law 99-457
Expanding on PL 94-142, PL 99-457 was amendments that helped allocated federal funds towards younger children. Specifically, the language changed to "from birth on" to help allow for earlier intervention.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2801456 -
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992 (ADA)
ADA gave civil rights specifically to people with disabilities. It gave similar rights as those under gained under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that protected against discrimination based off of race, religion, sex, national origins, and a few other characteristics.
https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/1990s/ada.html -
Public Law 107-110
Known commonly as No Child Left Behind, was not specifically geared towards kids with special needs but had a direct impact on them. The PL made it where all students had to get tested and schools got punished if all students did not pass the end of grade tests. This placed unrealistic expectations that all kids with disabilities would gain a standard year of knowledge for every year they were in school.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/11846/ -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)
Reauthorized PL 94-142 to have more strength and support behind it. Some of the additions included requiring licensed Special Ed teachers, IEP standards for students, and transition planning for the students.
https://www.wrightslaw.com/idea/ -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Recovery Act a response to the recession to stimulate the economy. Part of this was a one time funding towards special education.
https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/idea.html -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Latest reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Meant to reaffirm the U.S. "longterm commitment to equal opportunity to learn for all students." Kind of replaced No Child Left Behind
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/succeeds/