Chapter 6: Child In The Middle

All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

—International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966, Article 1.1)

It is the student’s judgment, not his parents’, that is essential if we are to give full meaning to what we have said about the Bill of Rights and of the right of students to be masters of their own destiny.

—Justice Douglas, dissenting in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972, p. 245)

The battle between parents and the state for control of thechild’s education is ongoing and evolving, encompassing multiple aspects of education, as well as the child’s own rights and well-being. While this battle has been the subject of much litigation and discussion, the child’s own right to self-determination has generally been accorded far less attention.