The Supreme court ruled it was legal to segregate individuals as long as they had access to an equal facility. This is where the separate, but equal doctrine comes into play. It was important to education because it ruled that segregated schools were okay, as long as the individuals in the schools were given equal resources. However, it turned out that this was not the case at all- those in minority schools often did not receive nearly as many resources or facilities that were equal to those of all white schools.

The Supreme Court ruled separate was not actually equal and deemed segregation of individuals as unconstitutional. This case was the most influential in giving individuals protections under the 14th amendment. Although it took years for the decision to actually be implemented, it definitely set the pathway for education to provide all individuals with disabilities access to a FAPE.

In 1972 a lawsuit was filed against the District of Columbia for excluding children with a variety of disabilities from appropriate classes which was in violation of the 14th amendment. The court ruled in favor of Mills and this is where due process procedures were developed to provide equal protection for all students. Due process is important in special education because this would be what led to the development of IDEA and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act later on.

PARC brought a lawsuit up against 13 school districts claiming that students with ID were being denied constitutional rights to equal protection because they were being excluded from public schools. The court ruled in favor of PARC and agreed that students with ID be provided a FAPE similar to those without disabilities. This was important in giving students with disabilities equal access to public education just as their peers without a disability.

Section 504 is a civil rights law giving protection to individuals with disabilities against discrimination which extends outside of just academics. It also applies to nonacademic settings and any other entity receiving federal funding. This is an important act because it not only protects students but also parents with disabilities to give equal access as compared to those without disabilities. In regards to special education, this law is one of the most influential in providing accommodations and modifications to students in order to ensure a FAPE in the LRE.

This was the most important piece of legislation that provided all students with disabilities access to a FAPE in the LRE and also included prescriptive procedures to prevent discrimination against these children. It was later renamed IDEA in 1990 which is what is currently used today. This Act is so important to special education because it paved the way to developing and implementing effective programs and services to be used with prevention and special education. Before this act was passed many children with disabilities were denied access to education similar to that of their peers. IDEA today helps meet the individual needs of students with disabilities to give them the best education possible.

The Rowley Decision came about in regard to what is deemed appropriate in education and comes from Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v Rowley. In this case, it was established that schools are only responsible for providing a “basic floor of opportunity” meaning that they do not have to provide the best possible services available but need to meet the basic needs of the child in order to provide a FAPE. This decision is important to special education because it set the beginning standards for schools when determining what is appropriate when providing services to students with disabilities. The decision was later revised to include a better definition and standards.

This case was brought about by the parents of a 6-year old student with Down syndrome. The parents believed that the school was not placing their child in the least restrictive environment because Daniel was taken out of the general education setting and instead put into special education full time with the exception of recess and lunch with the rest of his peers without disabilities. The court ruled in favor of the school, stating that they activity complied with the LRE mandate. This case was important because it set a standard in regard to determining LRE. A two-part test was developed which includes asking if 1. The child can receive a satisfactory education in general education classes with aids and services, and 2. Is the school has integrated the student into the mainstream to the maximum extent possible. This case paved the way for ensuring that schools are providing students with access to education in the least restrictive environment.

The ADA is another civil rights law that expands on section 504, however it extends into the private sector even without federal funding. This means that the ADA gives protection against discrimination in employment, services rendered by state and local governments, transportation, telecommunications, and places of public accommodation. I believe this to be an important law in regards to special education because it is going to continue to give protection to students even after they have graduated from school and no longer receive protection under IDEA and section 504.

The primary goal of NCLB was to level the playing field in education and is an update of the elementary and secondary education act. This act increased the federal role in making sure schools were being held responsible for academic progression of students by mandating states to develop and implement accountability systems and standards for reading and math. Although this act has been replaced, the actions behind the act had the intent to close the achievement gap between students and has paved the way of setting additional standards to make sure all students are progressing in their academics.