October 13, 2006
Under an August 2007 Settlement Agreement, each California local education agency (LEA) will manage the delivery of diabetes care for students whose Individualized Education Programs or 504 Plans require administration of insulin and related services during the school day. The CDE issued a Legal Advisory to all California school districts providing guidance on health care services for students with diabetes and outlining the rights of these students under federal anti-discrimination and special education statutes.
Education
Children With Diabetes Sue School Districts, State for Assistance
October 11, 2005
Oakland, California — Four elementary school-age students, along with the American Diabetes Association, filed an unprecedented civil rights complaint today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking class action relief against the California Superintendent of Public Schools, the California Department of Education, members of the California Board of Education, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, the Fremont Unified School District, and their Superintendents and Boards of Trustees. The suit asks the Court to compel public school officials to comply with federal law by providing the assistance that California students with diabetes require to manage their diabetes during the school day.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2003
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.
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.