-
School for Deaf & Blind Opens St. Augustine
The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind was established in St. Augustine in 1885, with the financial support of the state of Florida. This school served children with sight and hearing impairments who otherwise might not be able to attend a traditional public school. This school opening affirmed the right of all children to attend school, regardless of a disability. -
Brown vs Board of Education
Brown vs Board of Education was a landmark court ruling that declared that segregating students based on race was unconstitutional. This was the first time the federal government supported students that faced inequalities in a school setting and originated the LRE. Previous to 1950, many students were excluded from public education. With the Brown vs Board of Education ruling, the government set a precedence for advocating for the rights of all students. -
Elem & Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed by the federal government and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in April 1965. This act identified the role of the federal government in protecting disadvantaged student's rights to a public education and provided funding to schools for this reason. This allowed equal access to a free public education. -
PARC vs Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
In this ruling, the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children argued the constitutionality of students with mental handicaps being excluded from public education. The ruling on this case upheld that the state was not allowed to exclude these children and they must be allowed access to a free public education. This was the first "right to education" lawsuit in the United States to actually overturn a previous law. Watch - PARC vs Pennsylvania -
All Handicapped Children Act Signed Into Law
Also know as Public Law 94-142, this law is the basis of the IDEA act, mandating that all public schools must provide special education services to those students that require them. The law states that all children, regardless of handicap, have a right to a free and appropriate public education. Schools must supply support and services to children with disabilities. -
Child Find Established with PL 94-142
Child Find was established with PL 94-142 as a resource to identify and evaluate children 21 and under who may have developmental delays. Child Find is federally funded and available to all children and young adults from birth to age 21. It covers all students whether they are homeschooled or enrolled in a public or private school, and ensures early intervention in the identification of developmental delays, learning disabilities or other impairments. -
Honig vs Doe - Behavior Related to Disability
U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Honig vs Doe states that schools can not expel a student for disruptive behaviors related to their disability. This is the first court ruling to uphold the rights of students with emotional disabilities. It also places a limit of a ten day suspension for discipline related to emotional disabilities or related behaviors. -
EHA becomes IDEA
The EHA was amended and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. IDEA had the goal of providing all children a equal, free public education regardless of disability. The act is divided into six sections, among those being FAPE (free and appropriate public education) and LRE (least restrictive environment). LRE is important because it states that, when appropriate, children with disabilities should be included in gen ed classes as much as possible. -
No Child Left Behind Act signed by Obama
The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President Obama in 2001. This act increased accountability of schools to the federal government, offered school choice for parents, and allowed for early reading interventions to take place if needed. It was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. -
IDEA and IDEIA
IDEA became IDEIA (Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act) with such amendments as using an RTI model to determine a learning disability and increasing funding to early intervention programs, such as Child Find. With the implementation of IDEIA, IEP short term goals were eliminated and the standards of special education licensure was raised. IDEIA is the current legislation that protects the rights of students with disabilities. IDEA -
Introduction of RTI Framwork
RTI, or Response to Intervention, is a framework designed to identify students with learning disabilities by first offering a tiered system of remediation to target students who need additional support through evidence based instruction. Tier 1 happens as whole group, classroom instruction. Tier 2 is given through small group intervention sessions of at least 30 additional minutes, 2-3 times per week. Tier 3 is the most intensive level, with one-on-one support.