DETROIT, MI (AP)-- A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit focused on the poor reading skills of students at several Detroit schools, concluding in part that there's no constitutional right to literacy.
Judge Stephen Murphy III agreed in his 40-page ruling that "when a child who could be taught to read goes untaught, the child suffers a lasting injury and so does society." But he also asserted that the U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee a fundamental right to literacy.
The lawsuit was filed in 2016, arguing the schools were in "slum-like conditions" and "functionally incapable of delivering access to literacy." The lawsuit accused Gov. Rick Snyder, the state school board and others of violating the civil rights of low-income students.
The plaintiffs said Monday that they planned to appeal Murphy's ruling, which was posted late Friday in U.S. District Court for eastern Michigan.
