Re: But schools are not a right

"School is not optional for kids; they are mandatory"

You speak as if this is a universal truth. It is not.

Mandatory schooling in the United States began in Massachusetts in 1850, and was not in every state until the early 20th century. Even then there were exceptions - Massachusetts did not require young people to attend school if they could demonstrate that they already had the necessary education. Even today, there are many private schools in addition to the government schools, and even within government school systems there is sometimes a choice of school.

In many other countries, schooling is not mandatory, and in some cases (such as Japan and the Scandinavian countries) education is publicly financed but students choose which school they want to attend.

In all of these other cases, schools act much like private clubs, just as LGsinmyheart notes.

Personally I dislike school uniforms, but concede they might not be too bad if students could pick and choose from a menu of choices. I prefer a reasonable dress code, however.