Landmark Legislation

By tammy2008

  • Plessy v.Ferguson

    This case started when Plessy who was a mixed raced man, 7/8 Caucasian and 1/8 Black. He didn't want to give up his seat designated for whites. The decision caused racial segregation laws under the separate but equal principle. This affected African Americans and African American children giving them a chance to be segregated into schools.

  • West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette

    This started with saluting the American flag during school. Schools required public saluting to the flag as a mandatory part of school activities. Some kids would deny due to their beliefs and were sent home. The ruling came to the conclusion that children in public schools saluting the U.S. flag was an unconstitutional violation of their freedom of speech and religion.

  • Brown v. the Board of Education, Topeka

    This case started when they refused to let African American Oliver Brown's daughter enroll at a school closest to where they live instead they told them to enroll to a place farther. The Supreme Court believed separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. This impacted possible advances in desegregating housing, public accommodations, and institutions of higher education.

  • Tinker v. Des Moines

    This case started when students organized a silent protest against the Vietnam War and were caught by their principal who forbid them for doing so. This went further because of the fact that students should be allowed to freedom of speech. This means that students do not relinquish all of their freedom of expression rights at school.

  • Title IX

    This case consisted of the argument and establishes that the sexual harassment of female students can be considered illegal sex discrimination. Title IX requires schools to adopt and publish grievance procedures for students to file complaints of sex discrimination. It protects against discrimination.

  • Lau v. Nichols

    This case began when the students claimed that they were being ignored and not helped in school due to their inability to speak English. The Court decided that students must have the necessary language materials to meet their needs. This mandated that schools take action to support LEP students in overcoming language barriers.

  • Education of all Handicapped Children Act

    This case started with the leaders of the disability and rights movements when they decided there was a need for additional civil rights legislation for persons with disabilities. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. This ensures hat all children with disabilities have access to a “free appropriate public education".

  • Polymer V. Doe

    This case began when immigrant children we're being denied funding for education of undocumented immigrant children. The states states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education on account of their immigration status. This caused the 14th Amendment every child gets to go to a free public K-12 school despite their immigration status.