D017 School Law Notes - Note from
the readings, the podcasts, and
the slideshows.
School Law (Western Governors
University)
, D017 School law Study Guide Notes
From a second attempt student 2025 (Who passed!)
GßaflJCl P: HisJcly cj SCßccJiJg
❖ The Common School Movement
➢ 1837, Massachusetts
➢ Horace Mann is known as the founder
➢ Everyone was entitled to an education regardless of socio-economic status
➢ First schools to be funded by tax dollars
❖ Compulsory Attendance Laws
➢ Shift from voluntary to compulsory
■ Parens Patriae →The government shares the responsibility of minor
children who cannot care for themselves
● also made school required so parents couldn’t keep children
home
➢ Children ages 3-14 (now 5- 18) were required to attend school for at least 3
months out of the year (6 weeks had to be consecutive)
➢ Truancy
■ The court can penalize parents for their children not being in school
■ There must be a valid reason for not bringing them to school
■ Schools cannot question the validity of excused absences, but must
show proof of unexcused
❖ Landmark Events
➢ National Defense Education Act (1958)
■ In response to the Space Race (Russia beat the US to getting a
satellite to space, which made the US government want to focus
on our academics)
■ Funds are given to schools for S.T.E.A.M. programs.
■ Established the legitimacy of federal funding for higher education and
made funds available for low- cost student loans, boosting public and
private colleges and universities
➢ The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)
■ Under President Johnson
■ Provides federal funding to support disadvantaged students
■ Aimed to close achievement gaps and improve educational equity
using federal funding for schools
■ Title I → created by the U.S. Department of Education to give funds to
schools with high numbers of low- income families.
■ Title II → supports school libraries for both public and private schools.
■ Title II → mandated educational programs even outside of school
sessions and funding to special education
➢ A Nation at Risk (1983)
■ Under President Regan
■ A federal commissions report (comparing mainly high schools)
■ Kicked off on focusing on standards and comparing our education
to other countries
■ The Emergency Immigrant Education Act of 1984 provided financial
funding to meet the needs of English language instruction
➢ Improving America’s Schools Act (1994)
, ■ Under President Clinton
■ Standard- based education
● Assessments were improved to measure student academic
growth
■ Increased funding for Title I schools and promoted higher academic
standards
■ Data gathered to measure student achievement, teacher and
school effectiveness
● Helps teachers better tailor instruction to student needs and
provides more useful information to the students
and their families
➢ No Child Left Behind (2002)
■ Under President Bush
■ Brought in strict assessments to measure the accountability of the
school for both teachers and students (AYP= Adequate Yearly
Progress); made them mandatory
■ Yearly standardized tests measure how schools performed against the
bars set for Title I.
■ Schools were responsible for annual report cards detailing student
achievement
➢ Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)
■ Under President Obama
■ Offered flexibility to states from some of the laws most cumbersome
provisions
■ States had to demonstrate they adopted college and career ready
standards and assessments to receive funding
■ Implemented school accountability systems that focused on the
lowest-performing schools with the largest achievement gaps
■ Districts had to implement teacher evaluations, principal
evaluations, and support systems
❖ Case Law on Civil Rights
➢ Plessy v Ferguson
■ Establishing “separate but equal”, allowing segregation in schools
➢ Brown v Board of Education of Topeka
■ Overruled Plessy v Ferguson stating that “separate but equal” violated
the 14th amendment
➢ Brown II
■ Expedited that schools desegregated
❖ Schooling
➢ US Constitutional Rights (3 core)
■ Right to Life
● A fundamental human right that protects a person’s life
from being taken arbitrarily or unlawfully
■ Right to Liberty
● The right to be free from arbitrary detention or imprisonment
■ Right to Property
● The legal authority to use, possess, and dispose of a resource
◆ Students entitlement to access to the education itself
◆ Teachers are entitled to DO their given job
➢ Public school
the readings, the podcasts, and
the slideshows.
School Law (Western Governors
University)
, D017 School law Study Guide Notes
From a second attempt student 2025 (Who passed!)
GßaflJCl P: HisJcly cj SCßccJiJg
❖ The Common School Movement
➢ 1837, Massachusetts
➢ Horace Mann is known as the founder
➢ Everyone was entitled to an education regardless of socio-economic status
➢ First schools to be funded by tax dollars
❖ Compulsory Attendance Laws
➢ Shift from voluntary to compulsory
■ Parens Patriae →The government shares the responsibility of minor
children who cannot care for themselves
● also made school required so parents couldn’t keep children
home
➢ Children ages 3-14 (now 5- 18) were required to attend school for at least 3
months out of the year (6 weeks had to be consecutive)
➢ Truancy
■ The court can penalize parents for their children not being in school
■ There must be a valid reason for not bringing them to school
■ Schools cannot question the validity of excused absences, but must
show proof of unexcused
❖ Landmark Events
➢ National Defense Education Act (1958)
■ In response to the Space Race (Russia beat the US to getting a
satellite to space, which made the US government want to focus
on our academics)
■ Funds are given to schools for S.T.E.A.M. programs.
■ Established the legitimacy of federal funding for higher education and
made funds available for low- cost student loans, boosting public and
private colleges and universities
➢ The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)
■ Under President Johnson
■ Provides federal funding to support disadvantaged students
■ Aimed to close achievement gaps and improve educational equity
using federal funding for schools
■ Title I → created by the U.S. Department of Education to give funds to
schools with high numbers of low- income families.
■ Title II → supports school libraries for both public and private schools.
■ Title II → mandated educational programs even outside of school
sessions and funding to special education
➢ A Nation at Risk (1983)
■ Under President Regan
■ A federal commissions report (comparing mainly high schools)
■ Kicked off on focusing on standards and comparing our education
to other countries
■ The Emergency Immigrant Education Act of 1984 provided financial
funding to meet the needs of English language instruction
➢ Improving America’s Schools Act (1994)
, ■ Under President Clinton
■ Standard- based education
● Assessments were improved to measure student academic
growth
■ Increased funding for Title I schools and promoted higher academic
standards
■ Data gathered to measure student achievement, teacher and
school effectiveness
● Helps teachers better tailor instruction to student needs and
provides more useful information to the students
and their families
➢ No Child Left Behind (2002)
■ Under President Bush
■ Brought in strict assessments to measure the accountability of the
school for both teachers and students (AYP= Adequate Yearly
Progress); made them mandatory
■ Yearly standardized tests measure how schools performed against the
bars set for Title I.
■ Schools were responsible for annual report cards detailing student
achievement
➢ Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)
■ Under President Obama
■ Offered flexibility to states from some of the laws most cumbersome
provisions
■ States had to demonstrate they adopted college and career ready
standards and assessments to receive funding
■ Implemented school accountability systems that focused on the
lowest-performing schools with the largest achievement gaps
■ Districts had to implement teacher evaluations, principal
evaluations, and support systems
❖ Case Law on Civil Rights
➢ Plessy v Ferguson
■ Establishing “separate but equal”, allowing segregation in schools
➢ Brown v Board of Education of Topeka
■ Overruled Plessy v Ferguson stating that “separate but equal” violated
the 14th amendment
➢ Brown II
■ Expedited that schools desegregated
❖ Schooling
➢ US Constitutional Rights (3 core)
■ Right to Life
● A fundamental human right that protects a person’s life
from being taken arbitrarily or unlawfully
■ Right to Liberty
● The right to be free from arbitrary detention or imprisonment
■ Right to Property
● The legal authority to use, possess, and dispose of a resource
◆ Students entitlement to access to the education itself
◆ Teachers are entitled to DO their given job
➢ Public school
