ÌÇÐ͝Âþvlog

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; Education Week
Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, as well as responsible adoption.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Unlocking Success for Struggling Adolescent Readers
The Science of Reading transformed K-3 literacy. Now it's time to extend that focus to students in grades 6 through 12.
Content provided by 
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

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 Where Are Ed. Dept. Programs Moving? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
More than 100 programs run by the U.S. Department of Education are shifting to other agencies.
14 min read
Image of an office chair moving over a map of Washington D.C.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Federal Treasury Dept. Takes Over Student Loans as Ed. Dept. Hands Off More Programs
The Education Department is handing off a portion of its student loan portfolio to Treasury.
3 min read
The Treasury Department building is seen, on March 13, 2025, in Washington.
The Treasury Department building is seen, on March 13, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Opinion The Trump Administration Has Mostly Dismantled the Ed. Dept. Should You Care?
Here’s how much the administration has really changed federal education policy.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Ed. Dept. Quietly Ends an Honor for Schools’ Environmental Work
Applicants found out when the online portal for award submissions never opened.
5 min read
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, center, arrives for a tree planting ceremony at the Department of Education to announce plans to create the Green Ribbon Schools competition which will "raise environmental literacy," inside and outside the classroom and reduce a school's environmental footprint, on April 26, 2011. A Texas oak tree was planted at the ceremony.
Then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, center, arrives for a tree-planting ceremony on April 26, 2011, at the U.S. Department of Education to announce plans to create the Green Ribbon Schools competition. The Trump administration ended the recognition—which honored schools for reducing their environmental impact and offering hands-on environmental education—last year.
Tom Williams/Roll Call via Getty Images