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Plessy vs Ferguson
This case has to deal with the segregation of schools, and how a railroad company let a legally black man on a white's only rail road car. The railroad company believed it was unnecessary and a waste of money to have the separate cars for students. The 14th amendment was called into question during this case. The court ruled that the separate cars was not in violation of the 14th amendment. This is the case where the "separate but equal clause was applied. -
Brown vs Board of Education
This is another court case that revolves around the segregation of schools. An African-American students were not allowed to attend a school just because of their race. The 14th amendment was again called into question, and the Supreme Court decided that not allowing someone in a school because of their race does violate the 14th Amendment. This case also came up with the decision that separate but equal was unfair and it overturned the Plessy vs Ferguson decision. -
Cooper vs Aaron
The Governor of the Legislature in Arkansas was not following the Supreme Court's ruling of the Brown v Board case and wanted to haunt the desegregation moment and send African American students back to segregated schools. When this was taken to the Supreme Court, the Court ruled that because of Article VI the supremacy clause in the US Constitution, no state had the power to over turn a Supreme Court ruling. -
Engel vs Vitale
This got taken to court when a school district in New York started every school day with a prayer that was optional for students. A group who was opposed to this idea of a voluntary prayer said that the prayer violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The court ended up ruling in favor of the group opposed to the prayer and said even though the prayer was not required or tied to a certain religion it cannot be enforced in a public school. -
Title IX
This was a law created in 1975 that helped benefit everyone with school regardless of sex. The exact law reads as this "No person in the US shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be the subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal funding". The law is most known for women's participation in sports but it also benefits women with scholarships, and other benefits like supplies. -
Goss vs Lopez
Students from Ohio were suspended from school without meeting with the principle of their school to discuss the situation and give their side of things. I think it is important to note that there was no Ohio Law at the time that stated the principle had to do something like that. The Supreme Court had to determine If students get Due Process from the 14th Amendment. The Court ended up deciding that students are indeed protected under the Due Process Clause. -
Education of all Handicapped Children
This is also known as Public Law 94-142 and what it did was "guaranteed a free, appropriate public education to each child with a disability in every state across the country". The mission of this law was to "improve education for all children with disabilities". -
Plyler vs Doe
This case started after there was a change to a Texas law that let Texas withhold certain school funding to children of illegal aliens. This case also dealt with the 14th Amendment, and in particular the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that the Texas law did violate the 14th Amendment and that although the children were kids of illegal aliens, they are still given protection of the 14th Amendment. -
New Jersey vs TLO
School officials searched a student's purse without a search warrant, but the officials did have reason to believe that she had contraband in her purse.During the search the school officials find marijuana in the student's purse and the student ended up getting charged with possession.The Supreme Court then had to decide if the school officials violated the exclusionary rule.The Court decides that it is okay for the school officials to search students without warrant, but do need probable cause -
Bethel School District vs Fraser
For this case, it started when a student during an assembly gave a speech that some members of the audience thought was offensive. This ended up resulting in the student (Matthew Fraser) being punished for using the offensive language. Because of this, the Supreme Court had to decide if the First Amendment was awarded to students in school. The Supreme Court ended up ruling on the side of the school because it could "interfere with the educational process". -
Hazelwood vs Kuhlmeier
A principle of when editing a school newspaper found articles that were thought to be offensive and removed the articles from the newspaper. The question of the case ended up becoming if it was in the principle's power to remove the articles and if it violated the student's First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the principle and said "the First Amendment did not require schools to promote particular types of speech". -
Zelma vs Simmons-Harris
The state of Ohio had a voucher system for financial aid and determined who got it based on who was at which school. 96 percent of the students that got the financial aid attended a religious school. The Supreme Court had to decide if the voucher system violated the Establishment Clause. The Court said it did not violate the Establishment Clause because "Ohio's program isn't part of Ohio's general undertaking to provide educational opportunities".
