Professor Michael Helfand Quoted in "Do Children Have a Right to an Education?" -- Tablet Magazine

Professor Michael A. Helfand is quoted in the Tablet magazine article, "Do Children Have a Right to Education?" The article considers the impact of the Supreme Court decision in Wisconsin v. Yoder that allowed Amish parents greater control over their children's education on religious freedom grounds.

Excerpt from "Do Children Have a Right to Education?"

A neat resolution continues to elude us because of the paradoxes inherent in a multitiered federal system that places national historical importance on the education of its citizens, even as it maintains that this education cannot and may not be the sole purview of the state.

"Yoder got something correct," said Michael Helfand, Pepperdine professor of law and expert on religious liberty and law, "about the existence of a [parental] right. There are some real puzzles, though, as to how states ought to build basic requirements with respect to education, in order to ensure that in fulfillment of that right, you're not ending up in a situation where kids end up either not getting the education they need, or ending up in a place where they're not protected."

The complete article may be found at Tablet magazine