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Mandated Compulsory Education
Individual states are responsible for initiating and upholding educational laws. Compulsory Education is legally required, government provided, education for all children. However, not all states uphold this during this time. -
Watson v. City of Cambridge
Supreme Judicial Courts rules that students who are “weak-minded,” have behavioral issues, unable to physically care for themselves, or make strange noises, have the possibility of being expelled from school. -
Beattie v. Board of Education
A student with a condition including drooling and face abnormalities, was allowed to be excluded from school; the conditions affected others in no way, other than it nauseated those around the students. Teachers also believed that addressing the condition took too much of their time and affected classroom management. -
Council for Exceptional Children
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was founded in New York, in efforts to advocate for students with disabilities. The CEC advocates for each student to receive the same education as their non-disable peers. They also have a part in policy making and lobbying for children with special needs. -
Brown v. Board of Education
While this case was mainly targeted for segregation of races, it impacted students with disabilities as well. It was ruled that equal opportunities was applicable to students with disabilities just as much as it was for minority students. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the ESEA was put in place to provide educational funding. Establishing the ESEA was in effort to provide funding for disadvantage children, including students with disabilities. -
Mills v. Board of Education
Parents of students with a variety of disabilities filed a case against the Board of Education for excluding their children. The board was required to provide all children appropriate education and provided an outline for due process and placement of students with disabilities. -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
This was the first civil rights law passed in effort to protect students with disabilities. Section 504 was mainly put in place to prohibit agencies, who receive federal funds, to discriminate against any student with disabilities. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA)
The EAHCA was very important for students with special needs. It required students with disabilities to have the right for nondiscriminatory evaluation, be placed in the least restrictive environment, and an Individualized Education Program (IEP), to name a few. It also provided federal funds to states. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The EAHCA was renamed IDEA. Under the IDEA, they changed the language to ‘people-first’ and using ‘disabled’ instead of ‘handicapped’ to describe a student. There were two categories added, which included autism and traumatic brain injury. It also added related services. -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
Passed by President Bush, the law was made in effort to improve student achievement in America. States are required to hold districts and schools responsible measuring student’s achievements. Students with disabilities are included in this act in order to ensure they won’t be ignored and receive appropriate academic support. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
The IDEIA is built from the NCLB. It requires all special education teachers be certified and highly qualified according to the NCLB. It also encouraged teachers to use response-to-intervention (RTI) to identify if students had a learning disability.