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Monday, May 4, 2020

NANCY BAILEY: DeVos and The Privatization Connection to Detroit’s “Right to Read” Lawsuit: “Separate and Unequal”

DeVos and The Privatization Connection to Detroit’s “Right to Read” Lawsuit: “Separate and Unequal”

DeVos and The Privatization Connection to Detroit’s “Right to Read” Lawsuit: “Separate and Unequal”


The Detroit landmark decision that children deserve to learn to read in school is a case that reflects decades of troubled education in Detroit. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and school privatization are not mentioned in this case. But school privatization initiatives have been failing children in the Motor City for years. DeVos is the current face of a long line of those peddling such reforms.
Harmful school reform initiatives go back to Gov. John Engler’s administration. Many school reformers, both Republican and Democrat, have their fingerprints on the crime scene. The DeVos family is from Michigan and has affected Detroit and school reform there for years.
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Detroit students who claim they were denied their rights to a “basic minimum education.” Called the “Right to Read” lawsuit, Gary B. v. Whitmer exposes the decrepit conditions found in schools run by State leaders who failed to support Detroit’s students. The case was originally filed under former Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration.
It’s critical to recognize DeVos’s connection to the Detroit school failures. During this CONTINUE READING: DeVos and The Privatization Connection to Detroit’s “Right to Read” Lawsuit: “Separate and Unequal”