California students who sued state because they can’t read just won $53 million for troubled schools - The Washington Post

California students who sued state because they can’t read just won $53 million for troubled schools - The Washington Post

California students who sued the state because they can’t read just won $53 million for troubled schools

A group of students and teachers just won $53 million from California in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit arguing the state had not done enough to ensure students learned how to read.

The settlement last week in Ella T. v. State of California, accepted by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong, calls on state officials to introduce legislation that will establish a $50 million block grant program. The money is to be used over three years by the state’s 75 lowest-performing elementary schools, which will work with stakeholders to identify causes of poor academic performance and develop high-quality literacy programs. The 75 schools include charters, which are publicly funded but privately operated.

The settlement also provides $3 million to install a statewide literacy leader.

This was the first civil rights case brought under a state constitution to establish a right of access to literacy, according to attorney Mark Rosenbaum of the advocacy law firm Public Counsel, which sued with the Morrison & Foerster law firm. This case — which could lead to similar suits in other states — is based on the California constitution’s mandate that all students receive an equal education.

Students in Detroit Public Schools, citing the U.S. Constitution, sued state officials in federal court, arguing the state had violated their constitutional right to learn to read by providing inadequate resources. That case is on appeal.

“Access to literacy is not just the cornerstone of education,” Rosenbaum said. “It is the cornerstone of our democracy.”

The lawsuit was filed in 2017 on behalf of current and former students and teachers at three low- CONTINUE READING: California students who sued state because they can’t read just won $53 million for troubled schools - The Washington Post