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Special Education Law Timeline

By acruiz
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    Special Education Law Milestones

  • Board of Education v. Brown

    Board of Education v. Brown

    The first major civil rights case that ended segregation in schools. This case is a foundation for special education laws and reform.
  • P.A.R.C. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    P.A.R.C. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    An attorney who represented P.A.R.C., used Brown's case to file a class action lawsuit on the behalf of 14 children that had been denied access to education because of their developmental disabilities.
  • Mills v. Board of Education

    Mills v. Board of Education

    Mills was a court case that expanded on the P.A.R.C. case that also included children with other disabilities in addition to those with developmental disabilities.
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

    Section 504 is a federal law that was made to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities and stop discrimination from programs and activities that benefit from federal financial assistance the DoE.
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    The Education of All Handicapped Children; IDEIA changes and reform

  • Education for All Handicapped Children

    Education for All Handicapped Children

    The Education for All Handicapped Children act was created so that students with disabilities had a right to non-discriminatory testing and evaluation and be educated in comfortable and least restrictive environment.
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act

    This act provides civil rights protection and prevent discrimination to those with physical and mental disabilities and ensures them that they have equal opportunity and accommodations.
  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

    Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

    This is a federal law that mandates schools meeting the needs and accommodation of children with disabilities. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) was introduced.
  • IDEA 1997 Amendment

    IDEA 1997 Amendment

    The 1997 amendments allowed for general educators to work with students with disabilities and include them in the general education curriculum. General educators also became part of IEP teams. They also added more assessments to better assist students with disabilities and collect more data.
  • The Last Reauthorization

    The Last Reauthorization

    The 2004 amendment highlighted and added accountability and improved results on reading, early intervention, and high qualified educators. It also had changes to IEPs such as no longer having benchmarks as a requirement unless they take other test and having 3 year IEPs for some states.
  • Every Student Succeeds Act

    Every Student Succeeds Act

    This is when No Child Left Behind was over. This was a reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education act of 1965. This reauthorization prompted more evidence based learning and offered more educational options that further helped student with disabilities. It also significantly shifted the focus from state assessments as they aren't the only way to asses a student and a schools overall performance.