Florida,
a state with one of the lowest graduation rates in the nation, is also a state
with one of the strongest constitutional provisions for protecting the right to
education.
In
1998, voters demonstrated their commitment to Florida public schools by
approving an amendment to the state’s constitution that established a uniquely
high standard for public education in Florida. The amendment to Article IX Section 1 holds that the state has a
“paramount duty” to adequately provide a “uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and
high quality system of free public schools."
While
this amendment may stand in stark contrast to the realities of public education
in Florida, it has created a potential avenue for citizens to hold their state
accountable in honoring the human right to education.
