91Ö±²¥

Federal

Table: Hear Ye, Hear Ye: The No Child Left Behind Act in Court

May 03, 2005 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

See Also

Return to the main story,

NCLB Cases Face Hurdles in the Courts

Several lawsuits in federal and state courts have centered on provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Some examples:

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now v. New York City Department of Education

Federal suit by ACORN alleged that the New York City and Albany, N.Y., school districts had denied some children their rights under the federal law to transfer out of schools that had failed to make adequate yearly progress.

Status: A federal district judge in New York City dismissed the suit in 2003, ruling that the law did not create an individual right to sue under the transfer or supplemental-educational-services provisions.

Kegerreis v. United States

A public school teacher in Kansas City, Kan., sued the federal government, arguing that the law unfairly seeks to hold only school personnel accountable if students have unsatisfactory test scores.

Status: A federal district judge in 2003 dismissed the teacher’s suit, ruling that it relied on hypothetical harms, and that the federal government had not waived its immunity from being sued.

Reading School District v. [Pennsylvania] Department of Education

The Reading, Pa., district sued the state education department in state court last year, contending that some of its schools had failed to make AYP because the state did not provide enough money or did not translate state tests into Spanish.

Status: The state commonwealth court ruled against the district last year on the grounds that the state planned to have tests in other languages ready by this year. The district has appealed the ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. It has two other challenges to the state’s administration of the law pending in the commonwealth court.

Fresh Start Academy v. Toledo Board of Education

A private tutoring provider claimed that the Toledo, Ohio, district had unfairly blocked
it from providing supplemental educational services to students under the law.

Status: A federal district judge ruled last month that private tutoring providers have
no right to sue to enforce the federal law.

Ottawa Township High School District v.
U.S. Department
of Education

Two Illinois school districts sued the federal department and the state board of education early this year, arguing that the law’s requirement that special education students count as a subgroup for school accountability conflicts with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s mandate that each such student have an individualized education program.

Status: The suit is pending in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

School District of the City of Pontiac v. Spellings

The suit filed last month by the National Education Association and districts in several states contends that the federal government is underfunding the law, in violation
of a provision that no state or district should incur costs not paid for by the act.

Status: The suit is pending in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

SOURCE: National Education Association; 91Ö±²¥
Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 91Ö±²¥'s editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Improve School Culture and Engage Students: Archery’s Critical Role in Education
Changing lives one arrow at a time. Find out why administrators and principals are raving about archery in their schools.
Content provided by 
School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Can Trump Ax the Education Department Without Congress?
Trump has been flexing his power through executive orders, and there's the potential for one targeting the Education Department.
7 min read
The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Feb. 21, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Feb. 21, 2021. President Donald Trump could issue an executive order to downsize the department. It would have limitations.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP
Federal Top House Lawmaker Supports Trump's Bid to 'Depower' Education Department
The House education committee chairman believes "even the best-meaning bureaucrat" can't understand what's happening in local schools.
5 min read
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks during an event at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks at the U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai. Walberg, the newly minted chair of the U.S. House's education and workforce committee, said at a Tuesday event that he wouldn't stand in the way of President Donald Trump's efforts to diminish or close the U.S. Department of Education.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Federal Title IX, School Choice, ‘Indoctrination’—How Trump Took on Schools in Week 2
It was a week in which the newly inaugurated president began wholeheartedly to act on his agenda for schools.
8 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump's second week in the White House featured his first direct foray into policymaking aimed directly at schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Then & Now Why Can't We Leave No Child Left Behind ... Behind?
The law and its contours are stuck in our collective memory. What does that say about how we understand K-12 policy?
6 min read
Collage image of former President G.W. Bush signing NCLB bill.
Liz Yap/91Ö±²¥ and Canva