Timeline by Ciesielski, Kylie A

PARC v. Pennsylvania- 1971

kylie18_1 — 2025-09-22 14:34:18 UTC

The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Pennsylvania was a class action lawsuit where the state of Pennsylvania successfully sued for violating the rights of children with disabilities to a free public education. The ruling established that students with disabilities have a right to free and public education. This education would be appropriate and fair for all children regardless of disability. This lawsuit paved the way for other laws and regulations making schools inclusive for all students with disabilities. It has impacted special education because it was one of the first large lawsuits that fought for students with disabilities and won. This lawsuit not only made it so all students could get free and public education but it raised awareness for students with disabilities across the country.

Mills v. Board of Education- 1972

kylie18_1 — 2025-09-22 14:46:38 UTC

Mills v. Board of education was a lawsuit where the U.S district court ruled that students with disabilities must be provided with a free public education, regardless of cost or need for specialized accommodations. This lawsuit was put into place after the district of Columiba was found violating the constitutional rights of students by excluding them for behavioral, physical, or mental deficiencies. This lawsuit was important to special education because it provided students with disabilities the opportunity to attend school as well as have access to accommodations that they need to succeed. This act paved the way for many more in the future as it spread awareness for students with disabilities and the right to free education for all students.

1982-Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley

2025-09-22 14:48:25 UTC

This case set the standard for a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Amy Rowley, a deaf student, attended kindergarten and first grade in the Hendrick Hudson Central School District. Her Individualized Education Program (IEP) included continued use of her hearing aid, speech therapy, and work with a tutor, but not a sign language interpreter. Amy's parents requested a sign language interpreter, arguing that the provided services were insufficient for her to benefit from her education. The school disagreed, citing a prior trial period where an interpreter was deemed unnecessary. Her parents sued, claiming the school district was violating the EAHCA's requirement of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The Court held that the EAHCA does not require schools to provide a deaf student with a sign language interpreter to reach their full potential. Instead, the law requires that a child's educational program provide personalized instruction with sufficient support services to permit the child to benefit educationally from the instruction.

Oberti v. Board of Education - 1993

paigevm6 — 2025-09-22 14:51:36 UTC

The Oberti v. The Board of Education case was significant as it established the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classrooms. It fought for schools to require inclusion for students with disabilities and provide aids for them before putting them in more segregated school settings. It emphasized on getting accommodations for students with disabilities so they could be in a general education classroom before segregating them into a different classroom. These included speech therapy, teacher training, aids and so much more. This case forced schools to try many different things and accommodates before placing students with disabilities in a different classroom. It has impacted special education as it has made schools work harder towards the inclusion of kids with disabilities. Along with that, it has made the support for kids with disabilities higher as they know they are working to find accommodations so that these kids can be included and involved in a general education classroom.

1854- Brown vs. Board of Education

2025-09-22 14:53:37 UTC

Oliver Brown filed a class-action lawsuit against the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education after his daughter, Linda Brown, was forced to attend a segregated black school several miles away, while a white school was much closer to their home. On May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the Supreme Court's unanimous ruling that state-mandated segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Rejection of "Separate but Equal".The Court declared that "separate is not equal," finding that segregated facilities were inherently unequal and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This lawsuit explicitly overruled the "separate but equal" doctrine for public education. This was a turning point in American history. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.

Honig vs Doe - 1988

2025-09-22 14:54:48 UTC

Honing vs Doe was established in 1988 with the goal of ensuring no student with disabilities would be suspended or expelled for their behavior. It allowed schools to find ways working with the students instead of against them. The saying "stay-put" was intended to be erased in schools and providing a less restrictive environment for these students. Parents were upset about leaving work in order to stay home with their child for something they couldn't control. It is now the law that you can't send a child with disabilities home for a behavioral reason.