Dive Brief:

• Attorneys for low-income school districts in North Carolina have filed a lawsuit against the state, accusing it of failing to provide all children with their right to a basic education.  
• The suit presents yearly budget cuts, abandoned programming, and a lack of reading and math proficiency among 483,000 students as evidence.
• The lawyers have called for an August hearing where they'll ask the state to present a precise plan or timeline for improving the situation. 

Dive Insight:

Since the filing, the judge overseeing the case has released a report where he focuses on the state's "reading problem." Specifically, the report turns a finger to educators, blaming them for not ensuring students are at the proper reading level. The suit lays blame on a lack of funding and resources from state lawmakers, but the judge's report is likely the first of many that will lay the blame on teachers and administrators.  

This is not the first suit of its kind. On a smaller level, for example, the Michigan-ACLU is currently in the midst of a battle with Highland Park School District, contending that the city has failed to provide 1,000 school children with their right to an education on the basis that none of them are reading at their grade level.