Summary of The Student Bill of Rights 
Read the legislation: HR 236  

Findings.  That a significant educational opportunity gap exists within states for low-income, urban, rural, and minority students and that closing that gap is critical to the U.S. political system, economy, and national defense. 

Purpose.  To further the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act by holding states accountable for providing all students access to the fundamentals of educational opportunity to ensure that all students receive educational opportunities that enable them to be participating, responsible citizens and to compete and succeed in a global economy.

Requires states to establish three levels of access (basic, adequate, and ideal) to the fundamentals of educational opportunity and to define adequate yearly progress so that within 12 years, all schools have at least adequate access to each fundamental within 12 years.

Requires states, for their public school systems to be considered educationally adequate, to maintain systems that:

• provide adequate or ideal access to each fundamental of educational opportunity to every school (or lose up to 33 1/3 percent of administrative funds);

• provide comparable educational services among all school districts (or lose 33 1/3 percent of administrative funds); and

• comply with court orders in matters concerning the system’s adequacy or equity (or lose 33 1/3  percent of administrative funds).

Defines the fundamentals of educational opportunity as (quality):           

• teachers and principals;

• curricula;

• small classes;

• textbooks and materials;

• libraries; 

• facilities and computers; and

• guidance counselors

Requires states to report to the Secretary (and parents) on each school district and school’s access to each fundamental of educational opportunity. 

Requires the Secretary to report to Congress (and the public) on the adequacy (as defined above) of each state’s public school system. 

Provides a cause of action for declaratory and injunctive relief to enforce the bill’s requirements (not for damages) for students and parents aggrieved by violations of the bill. 

Provides that it is not to be construed to require any increase in taxes or redistribution of tax revenues.

Read the legislation: HR 236
Read the press release
Read news stories on the Student Bill of Rights
Congressional Cosponsors: House
Read related stories about unequal education in America
Congressman Fattah's Testimony (Adobe PDF)
Photos from Student Bill of Rights events
Organizations that endorse the SBR