What was Mills v. Board of Education?
Answer:
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia, 348 F. Supp 866 (D. DC 1972)
Mills was a civil action brought in the federal US District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of seven special-needs school-age children who sought their right to a free public education, which was being denied by the District of Columbia School Board. The case was granted class-action status (to represent the interests of similar DC school children) on December 21, 1971.
The Board of Education alleged the children were unable to be educated in public schools due to their "exceptional" needs, which included mental illness and mental retardation. The Board further claimed the cost of providing private educational services was too expensive; therefore, the children remained at home without access to an education.
Mills was resolved in a pretrail hearing, meaning the case was heard by a judge and there was no trial. The sitting judge was Joseph Cornelius Waddy, who was commissioned by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967.
Judge Waddy found in favor of the Plaintiffs (Mills et al.), and held that free public educational services, or a suitable private alternative paid for by the board of education, must be delivered based on the students' individual needs, regardless of cost to the school board.
"Constitutional rights must be afforded citizens despite the greater expense involved . . . the District of Columbia's interest in educating the excluded children clearly must outweigh its interest in preserving its financial resources. If sufficient funds are not available to finance all of the services and programs that are needed and desirable in the system then the available funds must be expended equitably in such a manner that no child is entirely excluded from a publicly supported education consistent with his needs and ability to benefit therefrom. The inadequacies of the District of Columbia Public School System whether occasioned by insufficient funding or administrative inefficiency, certainly cannot be permitted to bear more heavily on the "exceptional" or handicapped child than on the normal child."
"Plaintiffs' entitlement to relief in this case is clear. The applicable statutes and regulations and the Constitution of the United States require it."
For more information, see Related Questions, below.
Mills was a civil action brought in the federal US District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of seven special-needs school-age children who sought their right to a free public education, which was being denied by the District of Columbia School Board. The case was granted class-action status (to represent the interests of similar DC school children) on December 21, 1971.
The Board of Education alleged the children were unable to be educated in public schools due to their "exceptional" needs, which included mental illness and mental retardation. The Board further claimed the cost of providing private educational services was too expensive; therefore, the children remained at home without access to an education.
Mills was resolved in a pretrail hearing, meaning the case was heard by a judge and there was no trial. The sitting judge was Joseph Cornelius Waddy, who was commissioned by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967.
Judge Waddy found in favor of the Plaintiffs (Mills et al.), and held that free public educational services, or a suitable private alternative paid for by the board of education, must be delivered based on the students' individual needs, regardless of cost to the school board.
"Constitutional rights must be afforded citizens despite the greater expense involved . . . the District of Columbia's interest in educating the excluded children clearly must outweigh its interest in preserving its financial resources. If sufficient funds are not available to finance all of the services and programs that are needed and desirable in the system then the available funds must be expended equitably in such a manner that no child is entirely excluded from a publicly supported education consistent with his needs and ability to benefit therefrom. The inadequacies of the District of Columbia Public School System whether occasioned by insufficient funding or administrative inefficiency, certainly cannot be permitted to bear more heavily on the "exceptional" or handicapped child than on the normal child."
"Plaintiffs' entitlement to relief in this case is clear. The applicable statutes and regulations and the Constitution of the United States require it."
For more information, see Related Questions, below.
First answer by Marcia1061. Last edit by Marcia1061. Contributor trust: 825
[recommend contributorrecommended].
Question popularity: 4
[recommend question].
Can you answer these US Constitution questions?
Related topics:
Shopping for US Constitution deals?
Find Coupons and Promo Codes on Coupons by Answers.com
Why join?
Joining is free and easy. You can still be anonymous; just choose any username and password.- Get notified about updated answers
- Follow your favorite categories
- Get credit for your contributions
- Customize your profile
- Answer questions more easily
Lost your password?
You may already have an Answers.com account.
Click here to connect your accounts.
If you don't want to connect accounts, you can start a new one from scratch.
Click here to connect your accounts.
If you don't want to connect accounts, you can start a new one from scratch.
Minor details...
Connect your accounts...
Why do we need your email address?
We will use your email address to send you updates (if you request them) about questions you ask, answer or track, and to help you retrieve your password if you forget it.Your email address will not be used for any other purpose without your permission.
Already have an Answers.com account? Connect your accounts!
By doing so, you include all of your history (contributions, messages, profile) from your Answers.com account in your Facebook account.If you don't connect accounts, your new account will be starting from scratch.
Home
Welcome
Help center
Browse categories
- Animal Life
- Business & Finance
- Cars & Vehicles
- Entertainment & Arts
- Food & Cooking
- Health
- History, Politics & Society
- Hobbies & Collectibles
- Home & Garden
- Humor & Amusement
- Jobs & Education
- Law & Legal Issues
- Literature & Language
- Relationships
- Religion & Spirituality
- Science
- Shopping
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel & Places
- WikiAnswers Local
Random question
Community forum