Is civics education a ‘right’? Rhode Island case tests theory.

An educated society is vital to democracy, but are schools obligated to teach students how government works? And who should decide that, the states or the courts? Both questions are at the heart of an appeals case in Boston.

Growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, Ahmed Sesay never had a class in civics. When he graduated from high school in 2019, he had to teach himself how to vote and pay his taxes.

Now 20 years old, Mr. Sesay is part of a lawsuit being decided by a Boston-based court...