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Brown v. Board of Education
This case desegregated public schools based on race. It also sparked parents and teachers to consider integrating students with special needs, as well. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Allocated funds through Title 1 to help the "educationally deprived" children growing up in poverty or low-income families. -
Pennsylvalia Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennnsylvania
Mandated that students with mental retardation need to be included in public school settings, provided with a free and appropriate public education, and provided parents the right to participate in the resolution of disputes. -
Mills v. Board of Education in the District of Columbia
Supported that it is illegal to deny a student with a disability the right to an education, and specified that a school cannot suspend or expel a student to avoid the cost of educating that student. -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Guaranteed rights for and prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities. Rights secured included the right to access anything that a similar person without a disability could access, such as a classroom on the second floor of a school. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
Mandated a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for all students, mandated the creation of individualized education plans (IEPs) for students, provided funding for schools, created procedures for parents to dispute decisions made for their children (procedural safeguards). -
Board of Education v. Rowley
Helped define exactly what was meant by "appropriate" in Free and Appropriate Public Education. It was decided that the education should be beneficial and meaningful based on the student's potential. -
Irving Independent School District. v. Tatro
Determined that there is an exception to related services provided for special needs students. This is known as the "medical exception". If a doctor or physician is needed for a service, it is not provided for students in public schools. -
School Committee of Town of Burlington, Mass. v. Department of Educ. of Mass
This case decided that a parent can be reimbursed for private school tuition if it is determined that the placement offered by the school district was inadequate (failed to offer FAPE), provided that the private school placement was appropriate. -
Handicapped Children's Protection Act
If a parent successfully sues a school in a due process hearing, this act guarantees that they will receive payment for their legal fees. This allowed parents greater freedom to dispute decisions made about their children's education. -
Honig v. Doe
Determined that the 'stay-put' provision in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is needed to stop school districts from expelling or excluding students from school. This provision means that if a change of placement is needed, the student will stay in their regular placement until all the proceedings have taken place. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
This act was the new name of the Education for All Handicapped Children act. IDEA added new disability categories and mandated a transition plan for students older than 16. It continued to guarantee a FAPE in the LRE, required IEPs, and detailed how each of these things should be carried out in schools. -
No Child Left Behind
Known as the No Child Left Behind act of 2001, despite being enacted in 2002, this act was the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Although it was intended to increase accountability among schools, it has been met with mixed success. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
Improved on some parts of the IDEA, such as prohibiting schools from using discrepancy (a certain difference between how a student 'should' be performing and how a student is performing) to determine disability, using a Response To Intervention method instead, changed the definitions of "highly qualified teacher", allowed schools greater freedom in determining discipline -
Schaffer v. Weast
During this case, it was decided that the burden of proof during a placement dispute (or other IEP disputes) falls on the plaintiff, whether that is the parent or the school.
