History of Special Education Law Timeline

By kristanicole1010

  • The 14th Amendment

    This requires all states to provide equal protection of the law to all citizens. No one can be deprived of that without due process. This impacts special education law by guaranteeing equal educational opportunities to students with disabilities.

  • The White House Conference of 1910

    This was the first time that remedial programs for children with special needs were established. Each child requires different support and amount of support, so remedial programs helped to create individualized and specialized instruction for students.

  • Compulsory Education Laws

    Although Massachusetts passed the law in 1852, in 1918, all states had laws in place. Even though the laws required everyone to go to school, states started finding ways to exclude students with disabilities. As recently as 1969, courts ruled that students who they judged would not benefit from public education or were disruptive could be excluded from the law.

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    During the Civil Rights Movement, Brown v. Board of Education was a major turning point for the education of minorities. Although it was intended for the rights of minority students, it ended up effecting the policies that the schools had regarding students with disabilities. This was an important step in getting equal rights for children with disabilities. Special education law continued to expand on the rights for children with special needs.

  • Education of Mentally Retarded Children Act

    This was the first time that the federal government became involved in the education of students with disabilities. This was to ensure money to train teachers for these students. This signified the importance of training quality teachers for these students.

  • Training of Professional Personnel Act

    This act was created to help train teachers of special education. Because of this, students with disabilities could now be taught by trained professionals.

  • The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

    Although the federal government had already been giving basic funding towards the special education programs, this law provided money to improve those programs.

  • The Education of the Handicapped Act of 1970

    This act was an expansion of the previous federal program, but also included pilot projects and would provide states with money to create or expand projects for students with disabilities. The main goal of the act was students showing progress and getting all of the funds, programming, and resources required to do so.

  • PARC v. Pennsylvania

    This case was filed because the state was not following the Equal Protection Laws for students with disabilities guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Ultimately, this case resulted in public education rights for students with disabilities and involvement in programs as similar to their peers as possible.

  • Mills v. Board of Education

    This case was also based on the 14th Amendment. The argument was that students with disabilities should not be excluded from a public education. The ruling was that all students with disabilities should be provided with a publicly supported education and due process safeguards. This is so if they do not receive the education that they are entitled to, they have the right to a hearing.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

    This was the first law to specifically protect students with disabilities and to prohibit discrimination of receiving federal funds from any agencies. Section 504 required agencies to provide services similar to services much like people without disabilities.

  • Additional Right to Education Cases

    46 additional cases had been filed with the same goal of providing an equal education to those students with disabilities, therefore advancing and developing special education law.

  • Education Amendments of 1974

    If states were receiving funding for special education, they needed to have a goal and a plan to provide full education opportunities to students with disabilities.

  • The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

    This had the most significant increase in the role of the federal government in special education. The law gave five years for the states to adhere and provide a free appropriate public education to all students between the ages of 3 and 21. This was also the beginning of the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). There were financial stimuli offered, and by 1985 all states had complied with this act.

  • The Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986

    Parents who brought actions against school districts to protect their child's' rights could now be awarded attorney's fees. They previously were unable to do so without using other laws.

  • The Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1986

    This law became a sub chapter of IDEA. This law granted money to states to provide services for children from the ages of 0-3 with developmental disabilities. If the states received funds, infants and toddlers with disabilities must have an Individualized Family Services Plan. The amendments also gave states financial incentives to make children with disabilities eligible for special education at the age of 3 so that they could receive all of the protections covered in IDEA.