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Plessy v. Ferguson
This court case set in stone the separate but equal theory, meaning that it is legal to separate the races as long as it's equal. However much if not all of the separation was nowhere near equal. This would be the reason that the South was legally allowed to have black schools and white schools, where the Black schools were horribly funded. Primary Document from Court Case -https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.phpflash=false&doc=52&page=transcript -
Brown v. Board of Education
Maybe the most famous court case in American Education history, Brown vs Board of Education dealt with the segregation of schools. The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools was against the constitution. It also brought to light the idea of "separate but equal" was not equal at all. This court case overruled Plessy v. Ferguson. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkuiMr2tLJE -
Engel v. Vitale
This case got rid of a rule in New York that allowed public schools to have voluntary prayers in public schools. The decision was made by the supreme court because they said the rule breached the separation of church and state. This took prayer out of public schools. Website -https://constitutioncenter.org/timeline/html/cw11_12288.html -
Tinker v. Des Moines
During the Vietnam War, students at a public school in Des Moines, Iowa organized a protest by wearing black armbands. The principal suspended the students and the parents of the students sued. After a district court ruled in favor of the school, they brought their case to the supreme court. They ruled in favor of the students saying their first amendment rights should be protected.
Picture - https://xqsuperschool.org/rethinktogether/students-do-you-know-your-rights/ -
Wisconsin v. Yoder
This case dealt with the Wisconsin mandate that forced children to attend school until they turned 16. An Amish man by the name of Jonas Yoder refused to do this because he didn't think his children needed 16 years of school to live an Amish style of life. The court ruled in favor of Yoder and made an exception for Amish and similar people. Primary Document from Court Case - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/406/205/ -
San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez
This district of schools in San Antonio was financed by local property taxes. The court declared this unconstitutional because it violated the 14th amendment. However, the decision would be reversed by the supreme court after their original ruling. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlpzSCbgynI -
Plyler v. Doe
A Texas law allowed the state to withhold school funds for undocumented children. The Supreme Court found this law unconstitutional in relation to the 14th amendment. Picture - http://www.tylerhistory.org/2018/08/14/1982-supreme-court-upholds-plyler-v-doe/ -
Board of Education v. Rowley
A deaf student at a public school was refused an interpreter because she was already exceeding her other classmates. Her parents sued because even though she was doing well, she wasn't reaching her full academic success. The Supreme Court ruled in her favor using the Education of Handicapped Children of 1975. This decision would help handicapped students get what they needed for success in the classroom.
Primary Document from Court Case - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/458/176/ -
New Jersey v. TLO
After a student was caught smoking in school, the school searched her purse. They found marijuana and she was charged with possession and expelled. In her court case, she had a motion to suppress evidence found in the search, but it was denied. The ruling of this case allows the school to search students' belongings if they are suspicious of the student. Picture - http://elismuldaka.weebly.com/new-jersey-v-tlo.html -
United States v. Lopez
Alfonzo Lopez a senior in San Antonio brought a concealed weapon to school. He was charged but challenged his conviction and claimed that schools could not ban guns. The courts found him guilty and Lopez was sentenced to six months in prison. This case declared that schools have the right to ban guns and have gun-free zones. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnAgQKqc0F0