Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley

In 1982, the Supreme Court decided Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley. In Rowley, the Court, for the first time, resolved a case interpreting portions of what was then called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA), the legislation that would later be renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1990). Pursuant to the EAHCA and, later, the IDEA, states, through local school boards, are obligated to provide students with disabilities a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment as detailed in an individualized education program (IEP) for each child. In Rowley, the Court offered a definition of FAPE. The Court concluded that the states' obligation to provide FAPE was satisfied “by providing personalized ...