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Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was arrested for refusing to leave the whites only car of the railway. The lawyers of Plessy argued that the Separate Car Act of Louisiana violated the 13th and 14th amendment. The court decided the law was then constitutional. An all white jury ended with a 7-1 decision for Ferguson against Plessy. -
Brown v. The Board of Education, Topeka
One of the most famous cases in the civil rights movement and the education system involving racial segregation. Schools in Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, and Delaware denied entrance to certain schools because they were African Americans. The argument was that the act violated the 14th amendment which was shut down based off of Plessy v. Ferguson years back. As a conclusion the court decided the separate but equal argument was not lawfully equal. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
Des Moines students held a meeting to plan a public showing of their support for a Vietnam war truce. They demonstrated this through fasting and wearing black armbands to school. The principal ruled anyone refusing to remove the armband will be suspended. John Tinker and other students sued the school and got them for violation of the First Amendment which allows freedom of speech. -
Serrano v. Priest
Using property tax as the main source of public school revenue created a difference in the amount each school district received.The argument was that there was a large gap in district wealth. This difference denied equal opportunity for students. Senate Bill 90 was then passed in 1972 which created a ceiling for school revenue which came from property tax. -
Title IX
This is the part of the Education Amendments Act which gave all students, no matter which sex, equal opportunity. Students are not to be denied the opportunity of participation, benefits of or subjected to discrimination of any activity. Includes public and private schooling receiving federal funds. For example participation, scholarships, and other benefits are equally available to women and men. -
Education of All Handicapped Children Act
All handicapped students will be just access to an education and one free meal per school day. Any school accepting federal funds for operation must comply with these terms. The students with either mental or physical disabilities qualify under this act. This act overall allows parents to not have to deal with any obstacles that may involve not recieving a fair education for their child. -
Pyler v. Doe
Texas statute which authorized local school districts to deny enrollment to students who were not citizens. According to the document these students are considered to be not "legally admitted" into the states. The students argued the benefits of the Equal Protection Clause. -
Smith v. Robinson
A school Cumberland, Rhode Island had a School Committee which no longer funded a child's placement in a special educational program. The student suffered from cerebral palsy and other handicaps. The parents filed an action in Federal Court against the School Committee and against some state school officials. The parents won because the child was clearly discriminated against. -
Freeman v. Pitts
In 1969 the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ordered the DeKalb County School System to end racial segregation judicial control. In 1986 DCSS officials filed a motion, intending for the District Court to declare the DCSS officially desegregated and withdraw supervision.The Court of Appeals argued that the District Court should have authority over the DCSS until it is fully desegregated in all 6 categories for several years. -
Chipman v. Grant County Public Schools
This case was an argument of the violation of Title IX. Female students were excluded from National Honor Society or NHS based on her engagement in premarital sex and having a child out of wedlock. Denying pregnant students access from school activities was discrimination and a violation. At the end of the ruling, the students were granted access for the remaining of their senior year. -
Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe
A student elected as Santa Fe High School's student council chaplain delivered a prayer before each home varsity game. It was said that the prayer was a Christian prayer. A Mormon and Catholic family filed suit which challenged this practice under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The District claimed it's policy did not violate the Establishment Clause because the football game messages were private. The ruling was that the act dd not comply with the First Amendment. -
Board of Education of Independent School District #92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls
An Oklahoma School District required all middle and high school students to consent to urinary drug test in order to participate in any extracurricular activities. A couple of parents brought the suit up and argued the violation of the 4th amendment which did stand in the decision. In order to require a drug test the school would have to prove drug abuse problems. The school failed to demonstrate but the court ruled it was constitutional.
