Education Law: Board of Education v. Rowley (1982) Case

Board of Education v. Rowley (1982)

• The Supreme Court ruled that a New York public school provided a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to a deaf student, despite not providing a sign-language interpreter.
• The school's decision was based on the student's academic performance and progress, which demonstrated that she did not need an interpreter.
• The Court determined that the school was not responsible for providing a maximally beneficial education, but rather a FAPE that could be achieved even if the instruction provided only some educational benefit.

Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017)

• The Supreme Court case sought to clarify the level of educational benefit required to provide a FAPE to children with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• The Court rejected the 10th circuit's ruling that schools only had to provide a trivial benefit to the child.
• Instead, the Court ruled that educational programs must be appropriately ambitious in light of each child's circumstances and must have challenging objectives.

Proposition 227 (California, 1998)

• A ballot measure outlawed bilingual education in California, making it illegal for teachers to speak Spanish in California public schools.
• This measure was backed by Ron Unz.

Reversal of Proposition 227 (2016)

• California voters were poised to reverse the ban on bilingual education nearly 20 years after its implementation.
• A statewide ballot question aimed to end the restrictions of Proposition 227 and bring an end to California's official era of English-only instruction.