Initiative seeks to allow parents to sue for “high quality education”

Longtime education reform advocates are working to amend the state’s constitution in a way that could lead to lawsuits from parents dissatisfied with their schools’ policies and practices.

The campaign, called Kids First, submitted a letter to the state’s Office of the Attorney General on Oct. 7 proposing a November 2022 ballot measure to add constitutional language that declares all students have rights to a “high quality” public education that “provides (students) with the skills necessary to fully participate in the economy, our democracy and our society.” The proposal would need enough signatures to be put up for a statewide vote.

The Sacramento Bee reported the initiative could set up legal battles with the state’s teachers unions and school districts. The initiative doesn’t define what a “high-quality education” is, which would be left to plaintiffs to argue and courts to determine, according to the Bee.