Important Court Cases and Laws in Education

Plyer vs. Doe

• The 14th amendment allows states to deny education to undocumented children.

• The 14th amendment prohibits states from denying a free public education to undocumented children.

• The 14th amendment requires schools to request documentation of legal status.

• The 14th amendment only applies to citizens.

Buckley Amendment

• A federal law that allows parents to access their child's medical records.

• A federal law that describes who may have access to a student's educational records.

• A state law regulating the use of student data in online learning.

• A federal law that mandates standardized testing for all students.

Goss vs. Lopez

• Students can be suspended without any due process.

• Students can be suspended for disruptive behavior without a hearing.

• Students can be suspended for endangering others, but a hearing must be held soon.

• Students have the right to appeal any suspension immediately.

Franklin vs. Gwinnett County Public Schools

• Allowed monetary damages for Title IX violations.

• Prohibited all forms of discrimination in education.

• Mandated equal funding for all public schools.

• Established a new federal education agency.

Thompson v. Southwest School District

• A teacher can be fired for any reason without justification.

• A teacher cannot be fired on grounds of immorality unless it affects classroom effectiveness.

• A teacher can only be fired if they are caught committing a crime outside of school.

• A teacher's behavior is irrelevant to their effectiveness in the classroom.

Sante Fe vs. Doe

• It ruled that a policy permitting student-led, student-initiated prayer at high school football games violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

• It upheld the right of students to engage in voluntary prayer at school events.

• It determined that school-sponsored prayer is a constitutional right.

• It stated that students cannot express their religious beliefs during school events.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

• Public school students may wear armbands to class protesting against America's war in Vietnam when such display does not disrupt classes.

• Public school students are prohibited from wearing any form of political expression in class.

• Students may only wear armbands if they have prior approval from school authorities.

• Public school students can be suspended for wearing armbands that express political views.

Lau v. Nichols (1974)

• The case involved the failure to provide English-language instruction to students of Chinese ancestry.

• The case was about the rights of students to choose their own language of instruction.

• The case focused on the funding of public schools in San Francisco.

• The case was about the integration of students from different ethnic backgrounds.

Pickering v. Board of Education

• Dismissal of a teacher for public statements regarding issues of public importance without showing that the statements are recklessly false violates the 1st amendment.

• Teachers have no rights to express their opinions on public issues.

• Teachers can be dismissed for any public statement they make.

• The First Amendment does not protect teachers' speech in any context.

Plessy v. Ferguson

• 'Separate but equal' doctrine; Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Jim Crow laws.

• A landmark case that abolished slavery in the United States.

• A Supreme Court decision that granted women the right to vote.

• A ruling that established the principle of federalism in the United States.