Michigan Court Rules State Not Obligated to Educate Poor Children

A Michigan court recently ruled that the state has no legal obligation to provide poverty-stricken children with an education. Earlier this month, the Michigan Court of Appeals handed down a verdict stating that school districts were under no commitment to ensure kids from poor families received a proper education.

Of course, this decision did not make it into the mainstream media, mostly because it is absolutely ridiculous and should be considered an embarrassment to the state. Yet, the ruling is true… in a decision of 2-1, the high court determined that the state “has no constitutional requirement to ensure school children actually learn fundamental skills such as reading — but rather is obligated only to establish and finance a public education system, regardless of quality. Waving off decades of historic judicial impact on educational reform, the majority opinion also contends that “judges are not equipped to decide educational policy,” according to The Michigan Citizen.

"This ruling should outrage anyone who cares about our public education system,” said Kary L. Moss with the American Civil Liberties of Michigan. “The court washes its hands and absolves the state of any responsibility in a district that has failed and continues to fail its children.”