Why Kentucky Students Are Suing the State
Our Newest Book on Classrooms, Courts and the Constitution
This book tells the story of why we are suing our own state.It’s a story rooted in Kentucky, but it resonates far beyond our borders. The challenges we face—underfunding, inequity, civic neglect—are challenges young people across America recognize in their own schools.
Table of Contents
- Foreword
Luisa Sanchez: Making History
- Chapter 1
Our Complain
- Chapter 2
Participation Not Required
- Chapter 3
Reading, Rithmetic, Roadblocks
- Chapter 4
When the Teachers Are Chronically Absent
- Chapter 5
“Each Child, Every Child”
- Chapter 6
College and Career Counseling, If You Can Find It
- Chapter 7
Mental Health: Our Silent Struggle
- Chapter 8
The Essential Arts
- Chapter 9
Why This is Urgent
- Afterword
Ivy Litton: Take Us Seriously
Chapter Previews
Foreword
Luisa Sanchez: Making History
“Until this moment, I didn’t realize I’d be making history.”
Luisa Sanchez, a Kentucky high school student, recounts the moment she stepped forward as a plaintiff, realizing that students like her were no longer waiting to be heard. Her foreword grounds the book in lived experience and invites readers into a story led by young people claiming their constitutional rights.
Chapter 1
Our Complaint
“This isn’t that kind of complaint.”
This chapter introduces the lawsuit itself: what students are challenging, why the Constitution matters, and how decades of research led to this moment. It reframes “complaint” not as frustration, but as a formal demand for rights long denied.
Chapter 2
Participation Not Required
“What happens when schools teach about democracy—but don’t practice it?”
Students examine how civic education in Kentucky has been reduced to test prep and checklists, leaving many unprepared for real participation. This chapter argues that excluding student voice is itself a constitutional failure.
Chapter 3
Reading, ’Rithmetic, Roadblocks
“You can’t learn when the basics aren’t there.”
From overcrowded classrooms to outdated materials, students document how foundational academic gaps persist across the state. The chapter connects these everyday barriers to broader patterns of inequity and underinvestment.
Chapter 4
When the Teachers Are Chronically Absent
“Sometimes the problem isn’t who’s teaching—it’s whether anyone is.”
Kentucky’s teacher shortage comes into sharp focus through student testimony and data. This chapter shows how instability in staffing disrupts learning and disproportionately affects the students who need consistency most.
Chapter 5
“Each Child, Every Child”
“Equality is the key word here.”
Returning to the Rose decision’s promise, students ask whether Kentucky is truly serving every child—regardless of zip code, race, or income. This chapter traces how equity has eroded over time, despite clear constitutional standards.
Chapter 6
College and Career Counseling, If You Can Find It
“Planning for the future shouldn’t depend on luck.”
Students describe navigating graduation, college, and careers with little guidance—or none at all. The chapter reveals how uneven access to counseling limits opportunity and undermines the promise of preparation for life after high school.
Chapter 7
Mental Health: Our Silent Struggle
“We’re expected to learn while we’re barely surviving.”
This chapter centers student experiences with stress, anxiety, and trauma, often without adequate support. It shows how mental health is not separate from education, but essential to it.
Chapter 8
The Essential Arts
“Arts aren’t extra. They’re essential.”
Students make the case that arts education is fundamental to expression, culture, and belonging yet increasingly absent from Kentucky schools. The chapter documents what is lost when creativity is treated as optional.
Chapter 9
Why This Is Urgent
“This can’t wait another generation.”
Drawing together research, history, and student voices, this chapter explains why delay is no longer acceptable. The costs of inaction–educational, economic, and democratic—are already being felt.
AFterword
Ivy Litton: Take Us Seriously
“This is what it looks like when students refuse to be sidelined.”
The afterword reflects on what student leadership has made possible and what comes next. It leaves readers with a challenge: to take young people seriously as partners in shaping public education.
Rave Reviews
Andy Beshear
Kentucky Governor
“I think this is going to be a very important lawsuit…Hopefully, that means the majorities are ready to roll up their sleeves and say ‘Our job is to make our public schools the very best that they can be.’”
Aubrey N.
"[This book] helped me better understand how funding, resources, and support (or lack of them) directly impact students across the state."
Stephanie L.
"As the book describes the downward spiral of Kentucky schools the passion of Kentucky students is clear in their fight to better their education and the future of Kentucky education."
David B.
"I usually struggle with grasping legislative content and the intense nature of official documents, but this book broke down the current issues facing Kentucky public school students with ease...My heart goes out to the courageous students in Kentucky who have dedicated countless hours and endless effort into improving their access to a quality education."
Ray B.
"The book is historically significant not just for what it argues, but for who is finally doing the arguing."
Kendrah S.
"This book should remind you of how much student voices matter. Let us learn from them for a change!! Excellent work."
