The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Subchapter
001
:
GENERAL PROVISIONS
(Cite as: 16 V.S.A. § 1)
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§ 1. Right to equal educational opportunity
The right to public education is integral to Vermont’s constitutional form of government
and its guarantees of political and civil rights. Further, the right to education
is fundamental for the success of Vermont’s children in a rapidly-changing society
and global marketplace as well as for the State’s own economic and social prosperity.
To keep Vermont’s democracy competitive and thriving, Vermont students must be afforded
substantially equal access to a quality basic education. However, one of the strengths
of Vermont’s education system lies in its rich diversity and the ability for each
local school district to adapt its educational program to local needs and desires.
Therefore, it is the policy of the State that all Vermont children will be afforded
educational opportunities that are substantially equal although educational programs
may vary from district to district. (Added 1997, No. 60, § 2, eff. June 26, 1997.)