These are plain-language summaries meant to help you get your bearings, not legal definitions. Nothing here is legal advice. Laws change, and the short version always leaves things out, so verify any term against current law before you rely on it.
- ADA Title II Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II
- The part of the ADA that bars disability discrimination by state and local governments, including public schools. It can require a school to provide accommodations and equal access.
- BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs
- The federal agency that manages the United States government's relationship with tribal nations. It oversees trust responsibilities and certain civil rights channels for Native families.
- BIE Bureau of Indian Education
- The federal agency that funds and operates schools serving Native American students. Cases involving a BIE-tied school route differently than ordinary public-school cases.
- DCYF Washington Department of Children, Youth & Families
- Washington's state agency for child welfare, foster care, and child protective services. It is the agency families usually deal with in dependency and removal cases.
- DoDEA Department of Defense Education Activity
- The federal system that runs schools for the children of military families, on and off base. It has its own complaint paths separate from local districts.
- EASIE federal Indian student count reporting
- The federal system a school district uses to report its count of Native American and Alaska Native students for Indian education funding. Inaccurate counts can be evidence in a case.
- FCA False Claims Act
- A federal law (31 U.S.C. Section 3729) that punishes lying to the government to get paid, such as a district certifying false student counts to draw down federal money. It carries heavy penalties.
- FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
- The federal law that gives parents the right to see, and ask to correct, their child's school records. It also limits who a school can share those records with.
- FPCO Family Policy Compliance Office
- The former name for the federal office that handled FERPA complaints. It is now called the Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO), so newer guidance uses that name.
- ICWA Indian Child Welfare Act
- The federal law (25 U.S.C. Section 1901) protecting Native children in custody, foster, and adoption cases. Important: it covers custody, not what happens inside a classroom.
- IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- The federal law guaranteeing children with disabilities a free, appropriate public education. It is the law behind the right to an IEP.
- IEC Indian Education Committee
- The parent and community group a district must include in decisions when it receives Johnson-O'Malley funds. If a district claims the committee met, ask for the minutes and sign-in sheets.
- IEP Individualized Education Program
- The written, legally binding plan for a student who qualifies for special education under IDEA. It spells out the services and goals the school must deliver.
- JOM Johnson-O'Malley
- A federal program that funds extra academic and cultural support for Native American students in public schools. Districts taking these funds owe specific duties, including an Indian Education Committee.
- MGC Mission Guardian Council
- Bearpoint Foundation's permanent governance body, built with anti-capture safeguards so the Foundation cannot be steered away from its mission.
- MMIW Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
- The crisis of disappearances and killings of Native women, and the movement working to address it. It is central to the Foundation's purpose.
- Monell claim municipal liability claim
- A lawsuit that holds a city, county, or other local government responsible when its own policy or custom, not just one employee's mistake, caused a constitutional violation.
- OCR Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education
- The federal office that investigates discrimination complaints against schools. There is usually a 180-day window to file from the most recent act.
- OSPI Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington
- The state agency that oversees Washington's public schools. It handles district-level civil rights complaints with required investigation timelines.
- PRA Public Records Act, Washington (RCW 42.56)
- Washington's open-records law. It lets anyone request records from a state or local agency, which is often how families gather the evidence in a case.
- pro se representing yourself
- Handling a legal matter yourself, without a lawyer. Courts allow it, but the same rules and deadlines still apply to you.
- qui tam whistleblower lawsuit
- A whistleblower case filed under the False Claims Act on the government's behalf. If the case recovers money, the whistleblower may receive a share.
- Section 504 Rehabilitation Act, Section 504
- The federal rule barring disability discrimination by any program that receives federal money, including public schools. It can require accommodations even for students who do not qualify for an IEP.
- Section 1983 42 U.S.C. § 1983
- The federal law that lets you sue a government official who violated your constitutional rights while acting under their official authority. It is a common tool in civil rights cases.
- spoliation destruction of evidence
- Destroying, hiding, or altering evidence. A court can punish it, and can even tell the jury to assume the lost evidence would have hurt the side responsible. One pattern to watch for is printing and rescanning records to strip the digital trail.
- SPPO Student Privacy Policy Office
- The federal office that enforces FERPA and handles complaints about student-records privacy. It is the current name for what used to be the FPCO.
- Title VI Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI
- The federal law banning discrimination based on race, color, or national origin by any program that receives federal funds. It is the main law behind most school discrimination complaints to OCR.
- Title IX Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX
- The federal law banning sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, in schools that receive federal funds.
- UPL unauthorized practice of law
- Giving legal advice or legal services without a license. It is why Bearpoint Foundation provides research and evidence work, not legal advice. We help your lawyer; we are not your lawyer.
- WLAD Washington Law Against Discrimination (RCW 49.60)
- Washington's broad state anti-discrimination law. It covers many settings beyond schools and is enforced through the state human rights commission.
- WSBA Washington State Bar Association
- The body that licenses and disciplines lawyers in Washington. If a lawyer acts improperly, you can file a grievance with the WSBA.
- WSHRC Washington State Human Rights Commission
- The state agency that investigates discrimination complaints under the Washington Law Against Discrimination. It usually has a 180-day filing window.