June 24, 2003
Washington D.C. — The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the most important civil rights law ever passed for children with disabilities in the United States. IDEA was reauthorized and strengthened in 1997. The law is again up for reauthorization and faces substantial threats. The House of Representatives passed a bill, HR 1350, on April 30, 2003 making sweeping changes that weaken services and protections for students with disabilities.
Education
Emma C. v. Delaine Eastin, et al.
November 18, 1996
A class action lawsuit filed by eight students in 1996 on behalf of hundreds of children with disabilities in the Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto, California demanded that the district and the California Department of Education comply with federal laws ensuring a "free appropriate public education" to all children with disabilities. After years of pre-trial litigation the Court first approved a Consent Decree in January 2000, and three years later an amended Consent Decree and a detailed plan for improvement, including a court-appointed monitor were put in place by Judge Thelton Henderson.
Sacramento City Unified Sch. Dist. Bd. of Educ. v. Rachel H.
June 13, 1994
The parents of Rachel H., a young girl with an intellectual disability, brought suit under the Individuals with Disabilities Act challenging the school district's refusal to educate their daughter full–time in the general education classroom. The District Court for the Eastern District of California ruled in favor of Rachel and her parents, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later affirmed. DREDF represented Rachel and her family in this landmark victory for inclusive education.