Michigan judge rules kids don't have a fundamental right to literacy

[ashling]

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by Public Counsel, the nation’s largest public interest law firm, on behalf of Detroit students that sought to hold state authorities, including Gov. Rick Snyder (R), accountable for what plaintiffs alleged were systemic failures depriving children of their right to literacy, according to the Detroit Free Press.

"I'm shocked," said Ivy Bailey, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, the newspaper reported. "The message that it sends is that education is not important. And it sends the message that we don't care if you're literate or not."

The suit also sought fixes to crumbling schools that, among other measures, Detroit Public Schools Community District officials reportedly said would amount to more than $500 million.


The state had argued for dismissing the suit, with the city’s lawyers saying local officials are "all too familiar with illiteracy's far reaching effects."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/395231-michigan-judge-rules-kids-dont-have-a-fundamental-right-to#.WzvMEmDfZOs.facebook

[Loki Liesmith]

1. Not a constitutional right now

A moral right? Yeah. But the law ain’t moral.