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Brown v. Board of Education
This Supreme Court decision set the precedent that separate educational facilities are not equal. -
Mills v. Board of Education
This court case was filed in the U.S. District Court of District of Columbia on behalf of seven children who could not obtain privately funded education and stated that the Board of Education was not providing them with an adequate education. The court decision required the District of Columbia to provide a free public education to all children with disabilities. -
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act established civil rights for individuals with disabilities. If an organization receives any federal funding, it must comply with Section 504. This led to the creation of 504 plans for students, which are different from IEPs. 504 plans have a wider range of eligibility and detail necessary accommodations for student success. -
Education for All Handicapped Children
This law, also called EHA, guaranteed a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to every child with a disability and required schools to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for students with disabilities. This law was signed by Gerald Ford and was a predecessor for IDEA. -
Hudson v. Rowley
This was the Supreme Court's first interpretation of PL 94-142. This court decided that appropriate education for a deaf child does not mean it will produce the maximum possible achievement. Because Amy Rowley was already performing at or above the level of her classmates, the court decided she did not need to be provided a sign language interpreter to be successful. -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability and impacted education by requiring schools to provide accommodations for students with disabilities and ensure accessibility. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IDEA was a reauthorization of EHA that ensured students with disabilities the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). IDEA modified the requirements for IEPs to include parental involvement. IDEA also added traumatic brain injury and autism as categories of disability and introduced individual transition plans (ITP) to help students after secondary school. -
No Child Left Behind Act
NCLB was signed by George W. Bush and promoted standardized testing and accountability for schools as means to close achievement gaps. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
IDEA 2004, also signed by George W. Bush, amended IDEA 1990 by modifying the IEP process and promoting early intervention. IDEA 2004 also led to many schools using Response to Intervention (RTI). -
Endrew F. v. Douglas
Endrew F. v. Douglas was a unanimous Supreme Court decision that stated schools must provide an education that is "reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances." -
Luna Perez v. Sturgis
Like Amy Rowley, Miguel Luna Perez was a deaf student who was not provided a sign language interpreter. His family filed a complaint that Sturgis Public Schools had not provided him with FAPE, violating both IDEA and ADA. This Supreme Court decision allowed students with disabilities to pursue monetary damages under the ADA without exhausting IDEA's administrative processes.