Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has asked a federal court to accept her arguments supporting a group of Detroit parents who have sued the state. The families want the court to rule that their children have the right to good schools and an adequate education.
The families lost their challenge in a lower court and the case is now before the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Nessel says the right to read is the most fundamental skill taught to students – and it is critical to success in school, employment, and relationships.
Kelly Rossman-McKinney is the attorney general’s communications director.
“If you can’t read, you’re lost for life,” she says. “If you don’t have the basic components of literacy, you really can’t begin to wrap your head around any other subject because it’s all dependent on your ability to read.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration says the case should be dismissed because she was not in office when the lawsuit was originally filed.
