In 1884, a Chinese-immigrant mother, Mary Tape, tried to send her daughter, Mamie Tape to public school in San Francisco, however the school did not accept Mamie because she was Chinese. The Tape family sued the San Francisco Board of Education, arguing that Chinese students should have equal access to public education. The California Supreme Court sided with the Tapes, but the Court decided the best way to provide education for Chinese students was to build a school in Chinatown. Mary Tape initially fought this decision because she lived outside of Chinatown, but later moved into the neighborhood to give her children the chance to obtain a public education. In 1998, the school was named Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, named after the first Chinese American to be on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The school continues to serve the families within the Chinatown community.