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Lau V Nichols

1,800 Chinese students in San Francisco were unable to learn in their English-only classes and without English language textbooks, denying them an equal opportunity to receive an education. This led to the 1974 Lau v Nichols Supreme Court case, which ruled that under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, schools must take action to overcome language barriers that prevent students from gaining equal access to education, such as providing special language programs. The ruling established that schools receiving federal funding cannot discriminate and deny students of a particular race or national origin the same opportunities as other students within the school system.

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105 views4 pages

Lau V Nichols

1,800 Chinese students in San Francisco were unable to learn in their English-only classes and without English language textbooks, denying them an equal opportunity to receive an education. This led to the 1974 Lau v Nichols Supreme Court case, which ruled that under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, schools must take action to overcome language barriers that prevent students from gaining equal access to education, such as providing special language programs. The ruling established that schools receiving federal funding cannot discriminate and deny students of a particular race or national origin the same opportunities as other students within the school system.

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Running Head: Lau v Nichols 1

Lau v Nichols; Equal Educational Opportunity

Jasmine Vazquez

College of Southern Nevada


Lau v Nichols 2

In San Francisco, 1,800 Chinese students were unable to learn since they were in an all-

English speaking class, with only English language books. It seemed as if the students were

being denied the opportunity to learn in a public school. In general, this was against the Civil

Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination "on the ground of race, color, or national origin,"

in "any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance," this lead Lau to file a case in

1973 (Thomson Reuters, N/A). In 1974, the Equal Education Opportunities Act was created to

protect those who could not learn due to a language barrier and to prohibit discrimination, thus

requiring schools to take action to overcome the obstacles, which prevent equal protection.

This required schools to offer special language programs to English learners, which is

essential nowadays, where most schools have bilingual students or even students whose first

language is not English. As much as people will like to believe that everyone speaks English, it

is not true, especially when living in a diverse state like Nevada where most students are taught

English. In the 1700's schools did not realize that this was a problem or that there was a language

barrier in the world. After the 1900's, especially after the educational segregation of 1945, it

kick-started many rights to education and schools started to notice all new problems that arise.

The Equal Education Act of 1974 recognized many students from where they come from and the

struggles they have to be accepted and be able to learn and grow in this country.

It was not easy for Lau to win this case; especially once the civil court and court of

appeals denied the petition due to them believing that the language barrier was not related to

school systems. Lau petitioned for certiorari, a request to a higher court, and the United States

Supreme Court granted the petition since it was essential to the public. They relied on Section

601 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or

national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance,” this led them to
Lau v Nichols 3

their decision. The Supreme Court favored Lau and decided that San Francisco Unified School

District will receive federal financial assistance, to make sure that students of a particular race,

color, or national origin are not denied the same opportunities granted by other students in the

same school system (Firelight Media, N/A).


Lau v Nichols 4

Works Cited

Firelight Media. (N/A, N/A N/A). Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise. Retrieved October 1,

2018, from PBS: https://www-tc.pbs.org/beyondbrown/brownpdfs/launichols.pdf

Thomson Reuters. (N/A, N/A N/A). Bilingual Education Cases and Laws. Retrieved September

29, 2018, from FindLaw: https://education.findlaw.com/discrimination-harassment-at-

school/bilingual-education-cases-and-laws.html

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