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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that U.S. state laws regarding racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Including the segregated schools that otherwise were equal in quality. This marks the beginning of changes throughout the school systems that will be pivotal to Special Education. (US Department of the Interior) -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson proposed a major reform of federal education policy. The act provides federal funding to primary and secondary education. The act emphasizes equal access to education, shortening the achievement gaps by providing federal funding to support schools with children living in poverty. -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PARC)
This lawsuit claimed that by refusing to serve their children with severe disabilities the state of Pennsylvania was violating their 14th amendment rights to due process and equal protection under the law. The court decided that children with disabilities were being denied access to an education this denial was a violation of the 14th amendment. The PARC case established several important ideas that were to form the basis of the EHA. -
Mills v. Board of Education District Colombia
This a lawsuit that was brought on behalf of several children who resided in the District of Columbia. The students had been identified as having "behavioral problems or being mentally retarded, and/or hyperactive. These students had been excluded from school or denied educational services" (Law Justia). It was argued that the failure of the school board in the District of Columbia to provide them with an education was denying their right to an education. -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
"No individual with a disability in the United States, can by reason of their disability, be excluded from the participation or be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. This is to include public schools" (United States Department of Labor). -
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. This law gives parents certain rights to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when they reach the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. -
Education For All Handicapped Children Act
"This law requires all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education for children with physical and mental disabilities"(Govtrack.us). It also puts in place a system that holds states and school districts accountable for providing education to all handicapped children. -
S-1 v. Turlington
Nine special needs students were expelled due to classroom interruptions stemming from their disability denying their rights under EHA. The court found in favor of the students that their rights were being denied. -
Irving Independent School District v. Tatro
"This case stands out as the court’s first attempt to define the distinction between “school health services” and “medical services" (Encyclopedia Britanica). This case involved a child with spina bifida who needed catheterization throughout the school day. The court ruled in the child's favor finding the catheterization was not a medical service since a Phyician was not required to perform it. Bring to light how to further define health services and medical services. -
Public Law 99-457 Education of Handicap Act
This law addresses early intervention and mandated that individual states provide services to families of children born with disabilities from the time they are born. Prior this was to this, services were not available to children until the age of three. (Pubmed) -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IDEA is a federal law that provides guidelines for special education. This law gives children with disabilities rights to specialized instruction and individualized services to support their educational needs. Each State and Locality must have plans to ensure Identification, FAPE, Due process, Parent/Guardian Surrogate Consultation, LRE, IEP, Nondiscriminatory Evaluation, Confidentiality, and Personal Development guaranteeing special education and services. -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind reauthorized ESEA. This act supports standard based educational reform. States develop their own basic skills assessments. Most students with disabilities are also to take standardized tests of academic achievement and achieve at a level equal to students without disabilities. -
IDEA
The IDEA amendment was made to align with the No Child Left Behind Act to ensure equity, accountability and excellence in education for children with disabilities. -
Rosa's Law
This law removes the term "mental retardation" or "mentally retarded" from federal health, education and labor policy. Replacing it with “individual with an intellectual disability” and “intellectual disability.” Using people first language people. -
Every Student Succeed Act ESSA
A reauthorization of the ESEA signed by President Obama this act shines a light on where students make progress and where they needed additional support, regardless of race, income, disability, home language, or background. (US Department of Education) -
Endrew v Douglas County
Endrew Family petitioned to have their payment towards a private education after disenrolling their child with Autism from a public school. Their argument was that under IDEA obligation a school must offer an IEP reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances. Though the court did not rule in the families favor it brought attention to the improvement of IEPs. (Brown & Shin) -
Yazzie Martinez v State of New Mexico
This case is closer to home and involves the lack of sufficient resources. The Yazzie and Martinez families argued that their children were not receiving necessary resources needed through a culturally competent lens to help create success. Students said to be most at risk are low income, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners. The court found the state to be violating students’ constitutional right to a sufficient education and ruled in favor of the families.