Opinion ID: 2077353
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: nebraska case law under free instruction clause

Text: We have stated, What methods and what means should be adopted in order to furnish free instruction to the children of the state has been left by the constitution to the legislature. [23] In State ex rel. Shineman v. Board of Education, [24] the parents of 5-year-old children sought a peremptory writ of mandamus to compel a school district to provide a kindergarten class. The parents claimed that 5-year-olds had a clear right to public education under the free instruction clause and two statutes enacted under its authority. One of the statutes required schools organized in cities of that class to be free to all children between 5 and 21 years of age. The other statute prohibited admission to first grade for children under 5 years of age unless they would turn 6 by a specified date or had completed kindergarten. Because their children were ineligible for admission to first grade, the parents argued that their 5-year-olds were denied their right to a free education. We stated: The [free instruction clause] is clearly directed to the Legislature.... With reference to this provision we said in Affholder . . . that the method and means to be adopted in order to furnish free instruction to the children of the state have been left by the Constitution to the Legislature. Clearly, legislation is necessary to carry into effect the constitutional provision. It is not a self-executing provision. It follows that relators must find statutory authority to sustain their contention. [25] In State ex rel. Shineman, the parents lacked the authority for a writ of mandamus because the statutes did not mandate that the school districts provide kindergartens. Moreover, another statute gave district school boards discretion to establish a school's grades. The State argues that these cases show that the funding required to provide public education remains exclusive with the Legislature. The Coalition counters that these cases are not controlling because neither case required us to determine whether the Legislature had fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities. However, in State ex rel. Shineman, we declined to hold that the free instruction clause provided 5-year-olds with a right to education apart from what the Legislature had statutorily provided.