Understanding the legal foundations of education is an essential part of becoming an effective educator. In the Legal Issues in Education course at Acacia University, Georgi Felix explored how educational laws shape decisions and practices in schools — and how educators can move beyond legal compliance to create truly equitable learning environments.
Reflecting on her learning experience, Georgi shares:
“During my coursework at Acacia University, in the Legal Issues in Education class, I have learned about the many laws that influence educational decisions and practices in our schools. As a classroom teacher, I was not previously familiar with many of the laws that impact decisions made in educational settings. Following the law must be one of the many priorities that educators pursue. With this obligation also comes the responsibility to go beyond what the law mandates and create an educational environment that supports all our students.
After reviewing the five articles, it is evident that to guarantee equity in schools, we must go beyond legal compliance. While the authors approach the topic of equity through different lenses, ranging from students feeling like they belong to all the stakeholders being aware of the equity goals on campus, they all agree that working towards equity in schools is a worthwhile endeavor to pursue. The articles suggest that to meet the needs of our marginalized populations teachers need to reflect on their daily practices and make changes in their personal practices to ensure equity for all our students, rather than seeing compliance with IDEA as a checklist. Equity involves interpreting the laws and applying them with a moral commitment to serving students rather than focusing on avoiding litigation.”
One important area of discussion is the interpretation of what constitutes an appropriate education under IDEA:
“Regarding the Free Appropriate Public Education Portion of IDEA, the word appropriate is often where the legal versus equity debate happens. Students, parents, and the school system do not always agree on what ‘appropriate’ means.”
Georgi also highlights how schools can take practical steps to bridge the gap between legal requirements and equitable practices. Drawing from her experience in the Rialto Unified School District, she describes ongoing efforts to support equity through training and collaboration.
“Moving forward, bridging the gap can happen if administrators continue to provide training for teachers that empower them to apply moral obligations for equitable education while interpreting the legal mandates required. The district I proudly work for, Rialto Unified School District began this work by surveying parents and then creating policies to enforce an equity plan. Rialto Unified School District has made great progress with the yearly equity symposium, monthly equity newsletter, and culturally linguistic responsive professional development training teachers on how to validate and affirm the underserved behavior and then incorporate a protocol/activity that helps teach the mainstream behavior.”
“Ultimately, to ensure students receive an equitable education, teachers must not only consider the legal ramifications of IDEA but look deeper into what specific actions we can implement in our individual classrooms to change the culture of our schools to combat the systemic inequity that exists. By implementing specific strategies that validate and affirm underserved behaviors and then building and bridging those underserved behaviors with mainstream behaviors our students are more likely to experience a sense of belonging and encounter academic success ensuring a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) is provided.”
You can access Georgi’s Journal Review Presentation here:
💬 We’d love to hear from you: How do you balance legal requirements with equity in your classroom or institution? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation.
