Two high school graduates who are unable to read or write have taken legal action against their local public schools, claiming they were denied the free education they are entitled to.
William A. Jacobson, a professor at Cornell Law School and the director of the Securities Law Clinic, shared with Fox News Digital that these lawsuits highlight a more significant issue within the American public school system.
“These cases shed light on a broader problem in education. While these lawsuits have surfaced, there are many more students who have not received a quality education – they are simply pushed through the system,” Jacobson explained. “Regrettably, there are existing incentives, especially within public schools, to promote students without ensuring their academic progress.”
President Donald Trump has railed against the Department of Education for “failing American students,” a White House fact sheet published Thursday reads. The administration has suggested plans to eliminate the Department altogether, directing education authority to individual states.
The Cornell Law professor added that while he does not see AI going anywhere in the future of education, “we’ve got to be very firm that AI does not end up actually dumbing down the students rather than informing the students, because you can become very dependent on it, and that’s another problem, but it’s one we can’t ignore.”
Students in a classroom working on their laptops. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Additionally, Jacobson said, parents should be more focused on helping their children to read and write.
“I think parents would be better focused on helping their students and their children learn, rather than worrying about the next lawsuit,” he said. “I realize that might be a little unrealistic, because we are in a culture of trying to cash in on lawsuits, but I think our energy should be focused on fixing the system and getting students properly treated, as opposed to: how are we going to sue the school district?”
Justin Gilbert, the attorney representing William A., told Fox News Digital that “[w]ith up to 20% of the students in the United States having dyslexia, William’s case reinforces the need for dyslexia-trained teachers.”
“Most of us take reading for granted, but once we move outside the ‘reading window’ of the elementary school years, learning to read becomes much harder,” Gilbert said. “That’s particularly true for students with dyslexia. William’s case is a reminder, though a tragic one, of the need for greater awareness of dyslexia in the public schools.”
