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Brown vs. Board Education
This case took place in the United States Supreme Court and declared it unconstitutional to deny African Americans enrolled in the public school system their right to a free, appropriate, public education. This is significant for special education because this case set the standard and got the ball rolling for students with exceptionalities to receive FAPE as well.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This law was signed by President Johnson, and was significant in that it provided funding to primary and secondary schools for things such as professional development, instructional materials, resources to support educational programs, and parental involvement promotion. This is significant for special education because some of this funding was able to be used for students with exceptionalities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_and_Secondary_Education_Act -
PARC vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1972)
This case took place because the public schools in Pennsylvania were denying education to students who were at the age of 8, but had not yet reached a mental age of 5. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was found guilty of denying a free education to these students. This was one of the first major cases that provided an equal education to students with disabilities.
http://www.fortelawgroup.com/history-special-education-important-landmark-cases/ -
Mills vs. Board of Education of District of Columbia
This court case took place in 1972, and was significant because the public school system did not want to provide education to students with behavioral issues. This was in direct violation of their right to a public education, and went to court. This case declared that students with disabilities have a right to a free, appropriate, public education just like any other student.
http://www.fortelawgroup.com/history-special-education-important-landmark-cases/ -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
This law was significant because it made it illegal for programs which received any federal funding to be discriminatory against individuals with special needs.
https://dredf.org/legal-advocacy/laws/section-504-of-the-rehabilitation-act-of-1973/ -
Education for All Handicapped Children
This law was enacted in 1975 and made it illegal for public schools who receive any federal funding to deny access to an equal education to students with exceptionalities. This required public schools to evaluate all of their students and create an individual education plan involving the parents for students who were deemed in need of special education.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_for_All_Handicapped_Children_Act -
Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District vs. Rowley
This was a supreme court case where the parents of a student with a hearing impairment sued the school for not providing a sign language interpreter. The school said that they didn’t need to provide one due to the fact that the student was still receiving and adequate education without the interpreter. This case is significant because it required the government to look at the unclear terminology used in the EAHCA.
http://www.fortelawgroup.com/history-special-education-important-landmark-cases/ -
Honig vs. Doe
This is another supreme court case, where a student was indefinitely suspended from school from having poor behavior due to his disability. The ruling in this case was that if the school cannot provide an education to the student, then they must be receiving services from the state, in place of their schools education.
http://www.fortelawgroup.com/history-special-education-important-landmark-cases/ -
Timothy W. vs. Rochester, New Hampshire School District
This court case ruled that it was required by the school system to provide special education services to any student no matter how severe their disability was.
http://www.fortelawgroup.com/history-special-education-important-landmark-cases/ -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA, originally known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was renamed and established first in 1990. IDEA ensures that all students with disabilities are provided access to a free, appropriate, public education and individualized services based on the needs that they may have. Revisions have been made over time to the law that will be discussed later.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_with_Disabilities_Education_Act#Historical_context -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act was established in 1990, and made it a federal law that individuals with disabilities could not be discriminated against in all areas of public life, including schools.
https://adata.org/learn-about-ada -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
In 1997, there were several revisions made to IDEA including the expansion of the definition of a student with disabilities, so that students with developmental disabilities from ages 3-9 now fell under the law. Additionally, the amount of funding was increased for schools to implement extra resources and learning tools/instruments in their classrooms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_with_Disabilities_Education_Act#Historical_context -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
This education pushed for a standards-based reform, because setting high standards as well as measurable and achievable educational goals for our students with exceptionalities will help them to succeed. The states were then made to develop assessments to test basic skills.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The amendments made in 2004 to IDEA included a few states to extend the life of the IEP to a three year span with parental consent. There were also reforms made in order for IDEA to be compliant with the laws put in place by NCLB. Clarifications were made with how to discipline a student receiving special education, and the requirements for evaluating children with disabilities was adjusted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_with_Disabilities_Education_Act#Historical_context
