Special Education Law Timeline

  • Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

    Occurred because of educational segregation. There was segregation of many students by their race which was considered unconstitutional because there wasn't equal opportunities for all children.
  • Period: to

    breakthroughs in laws of special education

  • Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Colombia

    Occurred because of the right to education. It constitutionalized the rights of children with exceptionalities when it came to public education. It was able to match student needs, and this included instruction that was specialized for these students.
  • Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    This occurred because of the idea of the right to education. It was established mainly due to the idea that parents should be able to be active participants when it comes to educational decisions that affect their children.
  • Lau v. Nicholas

    Occurred due to equal educational opportunity. When it came to bilingual education, Lau v. Nicholas was seen as a major milestone due to the Supreme Court believing that there wasn't equality when it came to for students who didn't understand English. Even though students didn't understand English, they were still given the same materials as students who did understand english. This is why there wasn't equal education opportunity.
  • Tatro v. State of Texas

    occurred because of related services. Catheterization made it as a service, but when it came to the idea of it being considered an exempted medical procedure, it wasn't because a school nurse, etc. could perform it.
  • Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley

    Occurred because of the lack of appropriate education. The Supreme Court was talking about the idea of hearing impaired students. The topic was about how to create an opportunistic education for these students in which they can learn and grow.
  • Public Law 99-457

    This law was created to establish and IFSP for infants and toddlers. When it came to children who were not at the age to go to school yet, this law provided these children with benefits. "It offered small financial grants (preschool incentive grants) to the individual states as an incentive to serve young children with disabilities" (Gargiulo 42).
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    This occurred through educational reform and accountability. This law is important because it concludes the fact that everyone, including those in special education, must show proficiency in many core areas, such as math, reading, and science. The law specifies that testing of grades 3-8 will occur to show yearly progress and proficiency. This was a start on greater emphasis for special education students when it came to educational curriculum.
  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004

    This was the new version of the law commonly known as IDEA 2004. This law made it to where a shift occurred when it came to Special Education. Instead of just making sure these students had an education, there was now more efforts be schools, such as different standards, and assessments.
  • Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools

    Occurred due to IDEA exhaustion doctrine. Because of the school district not allowing a young girl to have a service animal, this was considered disability discrimination and, "the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, found that the because the parents were not seeking relief under the free appropriate public education clause of IDEA, the exhaustion requirement of IDEA was not applicable" (Garigulo 42).