Special Education Law Timeline

  • Brown Vs. Board of Education

    Brown Vs. Board of Education

    The Civil Rights case that laid the foundation for Special Education Law. It pointed out that segregation was not equal and created the push to fully integrate every student into the classroom.
  • PARC vs. Pennsylvania

    PARC vs. Pennsylvania

    The court ruled that students with disabilities needed to be placed in publicly funded school settings based upon their needs, after a proper and thorough assessment. Before this, disabled students were put in places like state-run institutions. Now students with disabilities are assessed on what their needs are in order to be most successful, and then they are put in the least restrictive environment for their learning.
  • Mills vs. Board of Education

    Mills vs. Board of Education

    It gave all children (disabled or not) equal protection under the law. All children with disabilities are entitled to an education, and education cannot be denied due to cost of accommodations.
  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    Gave students with disabilities the right to a "Free Appropriate Public Education" (FAPE). It helped to protect the rights of students with disabilities and their parents, as well as paved the way for the IDEA act later on.
  • The Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986

    The Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986

    This law gave parents more say in their children's individual education plan (IEP). These days, there are several people who work together to create an IEP, including special education teachers, school administration and the child's parents.
  • Individuals with Disabilities Act

    Individuals with Disabilities Act

    Replaced the Education for all Handicapped Children’s Act, and added several amendments. These included access to the same curriculum for all students, adding things like autism and traumatic brain injury as categories within the act. IDEA is now the roadmap to giving all children the best opportunities for learning possible.
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. This protects all disabled people's rights to employment, public services and accommodations. It protects people within school and beyond into adulthood.
  • No Child Left Behind

    No Child Left Behind

    A law that reformed the American school system and created an emphasis on standardized testing. It placed an emphasis on the quality of education that each student receives and seeks to hold underperforming schools responsible. This includes students with disabilities, and ensuring that they get a quality education.
  • Idea Improvement Act

    Idea Improvement Act

    An amendment that required higher standards for special education teachers, and for those looking to become special education teachers. It also encouraged the use of the RTI model in classrooms.
  • Every Student Succeeds Act

    Every Student Succeeds Act

    This act replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. It also created additional assessment provisions in order to effectively accommodate children with disabilities. It also allows schools to design Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AAS) for students with severe cognitive disabilities.