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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
Supreme Court ruled, in this landmark civil rights case:
*Segregation of public schools for blacks and whites unlawful, a violation of 14th Amendment, therefore unconstitutional
*Education characterized as fundamental government function that should be granted to all citizens
*Ended the "separate but equal" precedent set 60 years earlier by Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson
*Ruling served as precedent for establishing children with disabilities cannot be denied a public school education -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law:
*Free and reduced lunch program provisions (built on National School lunch program started in 1946 by Harry Truman)
*Initiatives to help low income families in the "War on Poverty"
*Additional teachers for low income schools
*Statute that funds primary and secondary education, emphasizing high standards and accountability
*Funds mandated for professional development, materials, and resources to support educational programs -
Vocational Rehabilitation Act (VRA) and Section 504
President Richard M. Nixon signed first Civil Rights law:
*Prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities
*Prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities from any federally funded program including K-12 schools, state colleges, universities, and vocational training schools
*Defines "handicapped person"
*Provides a definition for the term "appropriate education"
*Ensures students with disabilities have equal access to education as other students do -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA or EHA)
President Gerald Ford signed into law:
*Ensures handicapped children in public schools get one free meal each school day
*Federally funded schools must provide just access to education for children with disabilities ages 5-18
*Provides method for parents to seek remedies to obstacles in a fair education for their child with disabilities
*Eventually renamed as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 1990 and viewed as the "Bill of Rights" for children with disabilities -
Education of Handicapped Act Amendments
President Ronald Reagan signed into law:
*Free and appropriate education extended to students with disabilities ages 3-5 (Most important success-previously began at age 5)
*Establishes early intervention programs for children with disabilities from birth age to two years old
*Provides financial grants for infants and toddlers from birth to age 2 with disabilities and their parents to receive educational services -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
President George H. W. Bush signed into law:
*Prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the work force
*Provides equal opportunity to employment, accommodations, services, transportation, etc. to all including HIV positive people
*Prohibits public accommodations such as hotels, restaurants, retail merchants, golf courses, doctor's offices, health clubs, day care centers, private schools, sports stadiums, movie theaters, etc. from discriminating against people with disabilities -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
President George H. W. Bush signed into law:
*Defines Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
*Establishes Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
*Requires free and appropriate public education for all students with disabilities ages 5-18 (FAPE)
*Extends Special Education services to include social work and rehabilitation
*Transition program for students with disabilities begins at age 16
*Mandates due process in education
*Confidentiality for student information
*Bilingual education programs -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 1997)
President Bill Clinton signed into law:
*Mediation to resolve differences
*General Education teacher part of IEP team
*Students with disabilities required to take state tests
*Behavior Management plans implemented
*Students with disabilities continue to receive services even if expelled from school
*Child Find-local education agencies (LEAs) and state education agencies (SEAs) must locate, identify, and evaluate all children suspected of having a disability so a FAPE can be made available to all -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
President George W. Bush signed into law:
*Early intervention reading programs
*School choice for students from failing schools
*Highly qualified teachers
*Establishes learning standards of what children should know and be able to do in reading, math, etc. at each grade level
*Requires annual standardized tests for grades 3-8 and once in high school
*This most recent update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was passed by Congress in 2001, but not signed into law until 2002 -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
President George W. Bush signed into law:
*Higher standards required for Special Education teacher license and certification
*Increased funding to early intervention services
*Additional procedures for identifying children with specific learning disabilities
*Response to Intervention (RTI) can now be used to help determine if a child has a disability
*Clarifies that transition services should begin at age 16 -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
President Barack Obama signed into law:
*Gives more control back to states over standardized testing and consequences for low performance
*Only 1% of students overall can be given alternative assessments
*Bullying prevention plans implemented
*Standards-states can choose "challenging standards" that can be the Common Core Standards, but may elect to adopt others
*School interventions-states must identify bottom 5% of low performing schools and come up with a comprehensive improvement plan
