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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education legally ended segregation in schools. Before this the Jim Crow laws had a separate but equal clause that allowed segregation provided the facilities were of equal standard (which of course they were not) and with this Act the Jim Crow laws were decreed unconstitutional. After Brown v. Board of Education children of any race, gender, religion, or any other factor could now legally go to school together as one. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act was very similar to Brown v. Board of Education except on a much larger level. This law made it so that racial segregation was made illegal in all public places and most private ones. This also made it so that discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, place of birth or any other factor. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This Act provided funding to schools that had a large population of poor families with children enrolled at these schools. Because of this programs like the free lunch (and even breakfast at some schools) program are able to help children meet a basic need so that they can focus more on school and less on when the next meal will be. They were also able to use the money to fund more after school programs to help benefit these children. -
Family Educational Right and Privacy Act
This law protects the privacy of a students educational records. Parents of the student or the student themselves after they turn 18 have the right to view the student's records at any time. They also must give consent before the records are viewed by someone else that is not at their current (or future) school. -
Education of All Handicapped Children Act
This was the first law that required schools to accommodate for their students with disabilities which was defined as having a physical or mental disability. This required that the school provide lesson plans for these children and one free meal per day. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990)
Formally known as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act this was a new take on an old idea. Some of the changes made include earlier intervention and by helping the children from early elementary school all the way through high school. Each student is now given an Individual Education Plan to help guide where they need to go and to help them eventually integrate in with the non-disabled children. -
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act was, in a way, part two of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This Act required the testing of students in all subjects and to have these scores not only reported as a whole but also showing the rates for the minority groups and the low SES groups and if not every child was proficient then the school could face consequences. The schools were also given funding to focus on the disadvantaged students such as children with mental, physical and financial issues. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004)
The most recent amendments to this law happened in 2004. This law built upon EHA and the 1990 version of IDEA stating that every disabled child was entitled to a free public school education that would meet their needs and prepare them for a job so that they could one day lead an independent life. They also implemented a new plan that would help disabled children before they even reach school age. -
Mandatory Reporting
Mandatory reporting made it so that if a person that was working or volunteering at a school suspected that a child was being abused in any way that they had to report it to the proper authorities. If it was found out that a child was being abused and no school workers (especially the child's teacher) reported it they can get into legal trouble themselves.
