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Brown vs. Board of Education
A civil rights case in which the courts ruled separating students based on their color was unlawful. This case served as a foundation for special education law. -
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Rehabilitation Act of 1973- Section 504 became the first civil rights law to protect students with disabilities. Under this law is is the Free and Appropriate Public Education Act, which states that schools districts must educate students no matter how severe their disability is. Free Appropriate Public Education is under Section 504. -
FERPA
Family Educational and Privacy Act- Under FERPA, certain family members (e.g., parents) and students of a certain age have access to all the information that is identifiable, gathered, and used by the school. The law prevents the school from releasing school records without parental consent. -
IDEA enacted in 1975
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act- Under this law, all students with disabilities are guaranteed access to a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. -
Burlington School Committee v. Department of Education
Under this ruling, parents can receive reimburse for placing their child in a private school if they disagreed with the individualized education program (IEP) that public school officials designed. -
Handicap Children'sProtection Act
Handicapped Children’s Protection Act, a law that gave parents of children with disabilities more say in the development of their child’s Individual Education Plan, or IEP. -
Public Law 101-476 - IDEA
This act added traumatic brain injuries and autism to the disability categories. Additionally, in a student’s IEP, an individual transition plan must be developed to help the student transition to post-secondary life. -
Florence County School District v. Shannon Carter
In this case, a child with dyslexia and ADHD did not show growth, so her parents wanted to send her to a private school. The court decided that if public school defaults and a child receives an appropriate education in a private placement, the parents are entitled to reimbursement since a school district failed to properly educate the child. -
IDEA Reauthentication
This law provided all students with access to the same curriculum, and states were given the authority to expand the “developmental delay” definition from birth through five years of age to include students between the ages of six and nine. -
IDEA 2004
The changed allowed for early intervention for students and greater accountability with improved educational outcomes. Additionally, it raised the teaching, and required states to demand that local school districts shift special education funds toward general education if it a disproportionate number of students from minority groups were placed in special education for reasons other than disability.
