St. Paul, MN—A group of mothers from across Minnesota today petitioned the state supreme court to hear Forslund v. Minnesota, which challenges state education laws that provide outsized job security to chronically ineffective teachers. The State defendants have 20 days to submit a response and once fully briefed, the Minnesota Supreme Court will issue a determination as to whether they will hear the case. At issue is whether the Minnesota courts will provide judicial review on issues related to the quality of public education, which is protected as a fundamental right in the state.
A full copy of the parents’ petition to the Minnesota Supreme Court, along with all other legal filings related to the case, is available for download here.
About Partnership for Educational Justice (PEJ)
An affiliate of the national education nonprofit 50CAN, PEJ pursues impact litigation that empowers families and communities to advocate for great public schools through the courts. PEJ is currently working with parents and students in Minnesota, New York, and New Jersey in support of legal challenges to unjust teacher employment statutes in those states. In all three states, PEJ has connected families with pro bono legal representation and is providing parents with ongoing legal, advocacy, and communications support.
About Students for Education Reform Minnesota (SFER-Minn)
SFER-Minn organizes students and families to fight for educational justice in their communities. Their members identify issues that are driving inequities in the education they receive, share their stories, and push for lasting policy change on campus, in the community, at the Capitol, and – when necessary, in the courts – to ensure every child in Minnesota receives an equitable education. Other current SFER-Minn efforts include addressing Minnesota’s broken remedial education system, promoting statewide standards and oversight for how police work in schools, and monitoring local school board performance.