Students in the Highland Park School district have been given permission to sue the district, the emergency manager, and the state for not adequately ensuring that they are reading at grade level.
A Wayne County judge today ruled that the so-called "right to read" lawsuit, brought by the ACLU, can move forward.
“You know, you learn to read and then you read to learn," said ACLU-Michigan Executive Director Kary Moss. "So, at the end of the day I would hope that if we are successful in Highland Park the state will take the best practices and using the right experts, and good experts, develop the programs that every child in this state should be getting.”
Attorneys for the state had argued that Michigan's emergency manager law gives it immunity from lawsuits.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit last year. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 22.
--Lindsay Hall, Michigan Radio newsroom
