Which foundational court case expanded the right to education for students with disabilities by stating that education cannot be denied due to costs of accommodations?

Which foundational court case expanded the right to education for students with disabilities by stating that education cannot be denied due to costs of accommodations?

• A. Honig v. Doe (1988)
• B. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
• C. Timothy W. v. Rochester, New Hampshire, School District (1989)
• D. Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia (1972)

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that students with disabilities must be educated in public schools and that financial cost cannot be used to deny them that education. In Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia, the court ruled that denying a child an education because providing the necessary accommodations would be expensive is unconstitutional. The decision affirmed that the school system must provide access to education and determine how to meet each child’s needs, rather than exclude them on the basis of cost. This case helped establish that education for students with disabilities should be free and appropriate, laying groundwork for the broader protections that followed under federal special education law. While other cases addressed different issues—desegregation, discipline, or procedural protections—the Mills ruling is the one that directly links the right to education with the prohibition on excluding students for cost reasons.

The main idea here is that students with disabilities must be educated in public schools and that financial cost cannot be used to deny them that education. In Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia, the court ruled that denying a child an education because providing the necessary accommodations would be expensive is unconstitutional. The decision affirmed that the school system must provide access to education and determine how to meet each child’s needs, rather than exclude them on the basis of cost. This case helped establish that education for students with disabilities should be free and appropriate, laying groundwork for the broader protections that followed under federal special education law. While other cases addressed different issues—desegregation, discipline, or procedural protections—the Mills ruling is the one that directly links the right to education with the prohibition on excluding students for cost reasons.