JURIST - Paper Chase: NEA, school districts file No Child Left Behind lawsuit

[JURIST] The National Education Association [union website] and individual school districts in Texas, Michigan and Vermont filed a lawsuit Wednesday [NEA press release] seeking to force the federal government to pay more of the costs incurred under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) [PDF text; executive summary; US Dept. Ed. fact sheet]. According to the complaint [PDF, NEA case summary], NCLB requirements force school districts to divert resources or risk being shut down. Wednesday's action is the first-ever national lawsuit to be filed, but individual states are also taking steps to challenge the Education Department's mandate under NCLB. Earlier this month, Connecticut's attorney general announced that state's intention to file a constitutional challenge [JURIST report] to the law and yesterday, Utah's legislature passed a bill [JURIST report] requiring state education officials to comply with the state's goals before considering NCLB provisions. The NEA has set up a NCLB lawsuit website. Bloomberg has more.

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