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Plessy VS. Ferguson
Louisianna passed the Separate Car Act, forcing people of color to be segregated on trains. Homer Plessy challenged this by sitting in a train car meant for whites and was arrested. The case was taken up to the federal courts where it was decided, by Judge John Howard Ferguson, that Louisiana had every right to regulate and segregate anything as they pleased. "Separate but Equal" facilities were provided for people of color and white people. This directly affected people of color. -
G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill, also known "The Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944," provided rewards for all World War 2 veterans. This bill that was signed into effect by President F.D.R. gave one reward, which was free schooling to all veterans. This was revolutionary at the time because of the postponing of veteran life insurance payout during World War 1. In the end, this bill was a success creating more jobs and a booming economy. -
Brown VS. Board of Education, Topeka
This case was a consolidation of four other cases regarding segregation in schools. The case brought forth that the "separate but equal," doctrine was certainly not being taken seriously in schools. Judge Earl Warren and the associate judges ruled unanimously in favor of Brown. This meant that African American students would be admitted to white public schoools because of higher quality facilities. -
Cooper VS. Aaron
After Brown V. Board of Education, many school boards began to adopt plans for desegregation. With anti-desegregation sentiment running rampant, some boards opted against desegregation. A famous case involved nine African American students attempting to attend a white school, but being stopped by National Guard from entering. The students were then permitted by federal troops ordered by the president. This case directly addressed that no state had the power to nullify federal legislature. -
Tinker VS. Des Moines
During the Vietnam War, a group of students in Des Moines decided to wear black armbands as a sign of protest. Their respective schools decided to make the wearing of the armband punishable. The students were suspended when they refused to take the armbands off, this sparked a lawsuit against the Des Moines school district. The court ruled in favor of the Tinker children. This ruling defined in concrete the constitutional rights of every student, one being freedom of speech. -
Title IX
This federal law was passed as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act meant to end discrimination based on race. It failed to address discrimination based on sex. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in any federally funded education program or activity. -
Milliken VS. Bradley
After the Brown V. Board ruling, schools were attempting to desegregate across all areas. Milliken V. Bradley deals with desegregation busing across districts in Detroit, Detroit had enacted policies against this.The NAACP filed a lawsuit against the governor of Detroit stating that although Detroit didn't actively try to segregate schools, their policies influenced it. The court decided against the NAACP, school districts didn't have to segregate unless lines were drawn with racist intent. -
EACHA (Education for All Handicapped Children Act)
This act required public schools accepting to provide equal access to education and free meals for children with disabilities. Public schools were required to create a curriculum that would resemble the education of non-disabled students. The act also required that school districts provide administrative procedures so that parents of disabled children could question decisions made about their children’s education -
Plyler VS. Doe
In 1975, Texas Legislature let school districts deny enrollment in public schools to immigrant children who were illegal aliens. Two years later, the Tyler Independent School District made a policy requiring illegal alien students to pay tuition if they were not in the country legally. A group of Mexican students than filed a lawsuit against the policy. The court decided that the denial of public education was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause. -
California Proposition 187
California Prop 187, also known as the "Save our State" initiative, was a proposition meant to prohibit illegal aliens from using services provided by the state of California. One of these services was education. Prop 187 was voted into place immediately affecting students. Three days later, a federal judge, W. Matthew Byrne placed a restraining order on it, halting any institution of it. California passed Bill SB 396 that removes passages from Prop. 187 from California's education codes. -
Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1
The Seattle School District allowed students to apply to any high school in the District. Since certain schools became popular when too many students chose them, the District used a system to decide which students would attend. One factor in deciding was race, this was meant to keep diversity. Parents Involved in Community Schools, sued the District, argue that the race factor violated the Equal Protection Clause. The courts ruled in favor of PICS stating, reestablishing the clause in schools. -
Ahlquist v. Cranston
A banner stood up in the auditorium of Cranston Highschool West with a "school prayer" on it. When Jessica Ahlquist decided to speak out against this at a school board meeting, she was met with backlash. Her father filed a lawsuit against the school claiming it was a violation of the Establishment Clause. The courts ruled in their favor declaring that the banner was indeed a violation of the Establishment Clause. This re-defined the policy that schools should not declare any religion.
