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Engel v. Vitale Case
U. S. Supreme Court rules that the state of New York's Regents prayer violates the First Amendment. The ruling specifies that "state officials may not compose an official state prayer and require that it be recited in the public schools of the State at the beginning of each school day. . . " -
Civil Rights Act Signed
The Civil Rights Act is signed and becomes law. It prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin. -
Martin Luther King Jr Assassinated
Dr. Martin Luther King, Nobel Prize winner and leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, observed on the third Monday of January, celebrates his "life and legacy." -
Indian Education Act Passed
The Indian Education Act becomes law and establishes "a comprehensive approach to meeting the unique needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students" -
The Education for all Handicapped Children Act Passed
In 1975, the Education for all Handicapped Children Act, now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), codified the right to a free, appropriate public education for all students, including those with severe disabilities.
Previous pressure in 1972 in Pennsylvania helped push for all children to receive a free public education. -
Vietnam War Ends
On April 30, 1975, the Vietnam War ends, when South Vietnam surrenders to the communist North Vietnamese forces.
U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War stopped years before on January 27, 1973, however fighting was still happening until 1975. More than 58,000 U.S. service personnel were killed in action during the war. -
Refugee Act of 1980 Signed
The Refugee Act of 1980 is signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on March 18th.
The Immigration Act of 1965 was a platform for this new act. It reforms immigration law to admit refugees for humanitarian reasons and results in the resettlement of more than three-million refugees in the United States including many children who bring special needs and issues to their classrooms. -
Teach for America Formed
Teach for America is formed, reestablishing the idea of a National Teachers Corps
It allows for diversity in education to be spread throughout America. Public schools, decades after desegregation, remained a realm of inequity, unable to make up for the long-term effects of poverty, racism, and other deeply rooted injustices. Many people were unaware of this inequity or held little hope that it could ever be fixed. Teach for America helped to fix these issues. -
School Shootings Begin
On April 20th, two Columbine High School students go on a killing spree that leaves 15 dead and 23 wounded at the Littleton, Colorado school, making it the nation’s deadliest school shooting incident. Though schools tighten safety procedures as a result of the Columbine massacre, school shootings continue to occur at an alarming rate. -
Transgender Public Restroom Accommodations Spread
Target announces installing single-stall bathrooms in its stores, in as an attempt to address objections to its policy of accommodating transgender customers.
Other retailers and nation-wide known companies are beginning to open their eyes and restroom doors to the transgender community.
The 21c Museum Hotels in North Carolina used as a "We don't care" sign on their restrooms as a statement against the state's House Bill 2, also known as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act.
