Historical Timeline of Special Education

Brown vs Board of Education

Brown vs Board of Education is a court case in which the Supreme Court justices ruled unanimously that races cannot be segregated in public schools because it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. The separate educational facilities for white and black students were unequal in quality and resources. This case is linked to the civil rights movement that would follow in the years to come. While the case specifically deals with race, it would be later referenced in other cases of inequality within the school system, including the infringement of rights of students with exceptionalities.

More Information: https://www.britannica.com/event/Brown-v-Board-of-Education-of-Topeka

The Community Mental Health Act

This law initiated by President John F. Kennedy helped to increase and allocate funds for training professionals to work with students who have special needs. The funding also went to improve community mental health centers and research facilities. This public law was a catalyst in a series of acts that would begin to improve the access to which children with disabilities have to an appropriate education.

More Information: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/88/s1576/summary

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

This section of the Rehabilitation Act made it illegal to deny participation in activities or programs solely due to a disability. It ensured that people with disabilities have equal access to the programs they want to participate in. In addition, this act was more all-encompassing as it can be applied to people who might not qualify for IDEA, but are still in need of services. It acted as a bridge between general education and special education.

More Information: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html

Education for All Handicapped Children Act

This act increased funding of up to $3 billion a year to assure that children with special needs have access to a free, appropriate public education to meet their own unique needs. The law included six key provisions that made schools not only accessible to children, but allowed for family involvement, independence, IEP's, and nondiscrimination, which helped to advocate for the children when they cannot for themselves. This act also helped the federal government to become a major partner in local and state programs for children with disabilities.

More Information: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/94/s6/summary

Board of Ed. of Hendrick Hudson School District v Rowley

This court case was the first decision made by the supreme court revolving special education. It was brought to the court when a school refused to provide a sign language interpreter for a deaf student who was in need of services. This case defined "free and appropriate" public education.

More Information: https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/ussupct.rowley.htm

Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments

This act was created as an amendment to the law passed in 1975 to include younger children as the previous act didn't include children of all ages. As the benefits of early identification and intervention became increasingly evident, lawmakers pushed for the act to start as young as possible in a child's life. This act allocated federal funding for states to include programs for children starting at birth. This act was eventually renamed to Individuals with Disabilites Education Act (IDEA), which will be discussed later in the timeline.

More Information: https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr9/issue3/f090308.html

Honig v Doe

This court case was the supreme court's first and only decision regarding discipline for students with disabilities. A child with an emotional and behavioral disorder was suspended and then expelled from school as a result of actions due to his disability. The court decided this was unconstitutional and clarified procedural issues to protect children so that they can not be unfairly punished or expelled as a result of their disability.

More Information: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/484/305.html

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act extended civil rights to people with disabilities. The rights in this act ensured all people would receive them regardless of race, national origin, gender, religion, or disability as seen in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Brown vs Board of Education from 1954 was a key factor in the formation of the civil rights act. With IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. had made major strides towards ensuring that children with disabilities have equal access to educational resources without discrimination.

More Information: https://adata.org/learn-about-ada

Florence County School District Four vs Shannon Carter

This court case was a unanimous decision made by the supreme court that said if a public school cannot provide a child with a disability the appropriate education under the IDEA act, then the parents can be reimbursed for enrolling their child in a private school. This would even hold to be true if the private school did not meet the standards as well. This ruling would go on to help children with autism who received a specific type of therapy.

More Information: https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/ussupct.carter.htm

No Child Left Behind Act

The No Child Left Behind Act was a major piece of legislation during the presidency of George W. Bush. The purpose of the act was to make schools and educators responsible for bringing students to a certain level of competency, which would be examined through standardized testing. This act was intended for all schoolchildren, meaning that it affected students with exceptionalities as well. For some students with disabilities, they were not able to meet the standards without much additional support and even so the requirements were unrealistic for some. For academically gifted students, the standards were not challenging enough and often caused lack of attention from teachers who had to put focus elsewhere in the classroom.

More Information: https://www.fairtest.org/what-no-child-left-behind-law

IDEA

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was an extremely important piece of legislation for children with disabilities as it examined the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and revised and improved it. The changes included higher quality of personnel through full state certification, improving IEP standards through rigorous examination and short-term objectives, and transition planning for those with IEP's to help the transition into the community post-education be as smooth and effective as possible. The funding behind this act improved training of special education teachers and supported research that would be implemented into classrooms.

More Information: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increased funding to stimulate the economy in certain areas including education. A large sum of money was allocated to improve early intervention services, which was given to children birth to 5 years. The funds were directed to programs that use data systems to track children, improve delivery services, and establish accountability standards. The federal government felt that the money given to children with disabilities would help to strengthen the health and the economy of the U.S.

More Information: https://www.ntia.doc.gov/page/2011/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-2009

ESSA

The Every Student Succeeds Act reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 that highlighted the nation's commitment to equal opportunity for all students. The goals of this law were intended to reduce the achievement gap in education by advancing equity for disadvantaged students and appropriate academic standards. It was a multi-disciplinary act that would include participation from schools, families, students and communities. ESSA also increased funding to improve access to high-quality preschools.

More Information: https://www.ed.gov/essa