Plyler v. Doe

Learn more about the 1982 Supreme Court decision which declared that undocumented children are entitled to a free public education

Explainer

Students at Valencia Newcomer School wait to change classes Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Phoenix. Children from around the world are learning the English skills and American classroom customs they need to succeed at so-called newcomer schools. Valencia Newcomer School in Phoenix is among a handful of such public schools in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping some of the thousands of children who arrive in the country annually.
Undocumented Students Have the Right to a Free Education. This Is Why
A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling protected undocumented students' access to free public education. Some lawmakers seek to overturn it.
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A know-your-rights flyer rests on a table while immigration activist, Laura Mendoza, speaks to the Associated Press' reporter at The Resurrection Project offices in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on June 19, 2019. From Los Angeles to Atlanta, advocates and attorneys have brought civil rights workshops to schools, churches, storefronts and consulates, tailoring their efforts on what to do if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers show up at home or on the road.
A know-your-rights flyer rests on a table while immigration activist, Laura Mendoza, speaks to the Associated Press' reporter at The Resurrection Project offices in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on June 19, 2019. Immigration advocates advise schools to inform families about their legal rights as uncertainty remains over how far-reaching immigration enforcement will go under a second Trump administration.
Amr Alfiky/AP
Federal Can Immigration Agents Make Arrests and Carry Out Raids at Schools?
Current federal policy says schools are protected areas from immigration enforcement. That may soon change.
Ileana Najarro, December 11, 2024
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9 min read
Parents and community members rally outside P.S. 189 to protest New York City Mayor Eric Adam's plan to temporarily house immigrants in the school's gymnasium, seen in the background on May 16, 2023, in New York.
Parents and community members rally outside P.S. 189 to protest New York City Mayor Eric Adam's plan to temporarily house immigrants in the school's gymnasium, seen in the background on May 16, 2023, in New York.
John Minchillo/AP
Federal A More Complete Picture of Immigration's Impact on U.S. Public Schools
House Republicans say a migrant influx has caused "chaos" in K-12 schools. The reality is more complicated.
Libby Stanford, June 6, 2024
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10 min read
The Supreme Court in Washington, Dec. 3, 2021. The Supreme Court has turned away a plea from parents to block a new admissions policy at a prestigious high school in northern Virginia that a lower court had found discriminates against Asian American students.
The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Dec. 3, 2021.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Conservatives’ Checklist: U.S. Supreme Court Education Decisions to Overrule
Here are five education issues that could be targets for reconsideration if Roe v. Wade falls.
Mark Walsh, May 11, 2022
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3 min read
supreme court SOC
Getty
Law & Courts Leaked Abortion Draft Has Supreme Court Education Cases in Political Cross-Hairs
Conservatives have taken aim at decisions on educating immigrants, race in admissions, and religion. Liberals have some cases in mind, too.
Mark Walsh, May 10, 2022
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8 min read
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas, on June 8, 2021.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas, on June 8, 2021.
Eric Gay/AP
States Texas Governor Sparks Backlash With Talk of Rolling Back Free School for Immigrant Kids
Critics assailed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's idea as “hare-brained” and “cruel.”
Robert T. Garrett, The Dallas Morning News, May 6, 2022
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5 min read
Equity & Diversity Q&A A Look Back at How Undocumented Children Won the Right to Attend U.S. Schools
The fight over the rights of undocumented students has its origins in Tyler, a northeast Texas city where municipal leaders feared their school system would be overrun with immigrant families and students.
Corey Mitchell, June 19, 2020
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3 min read
Equity & Diversity Civil Rights Group Warns States: Don't Bar Immigrant Students From Schools
Federal law established through a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision makes clear that schools and districts cannot adopt enrollment policies that deny or discourage children from enrolling because of immigration status.
Corey Mitchell, October 31, 2017
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2 min read
Education Supreme Court Immigration Ruling Resonates 30 Years Later
Thirty years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a state may not deny access to a basic public education to any child, whether that child is present in the country legally or not, a decision with fresh resonance today.
Mark Walsh, June 12, 2012
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4 min read
Equity & Diversity Scholar Calls Plyler v. Doe Ruling 'Resilient'
The 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that students are entitled to a free K-12 education regardless of their immigration status has been "resilient," in part because of strong backing from educators over the years, a law scholar says in an analysis of the ruling.
Mary Ann Zehr, September 20, 2010
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion: Where Might We Be Without Plyler v. Doe? Look at Arizona
Linda Greenhouse protests the enactment of an anti-immigrant law in Arizona by speculating how undocumented school-age children in this country might be treated if the U.S. Supreme Court hadn't ruled in favor of scuh children in Plyer v. Doe in 1982.
Mary Ann Zehr, April 27, 2010
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Plyler Judge Dies
U.S. Senior District Judge William Wayne Justice, who more than a quarter-century ago ordered Texas to educate undocumented children, died on Oct. 13.
Mary Ann Zehr, October 27, 2009
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1 min read
Education A Scholar's Look at MALDEF's Role in Plyler v. Doe
For the 25th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe--which obligated public schools to enroll children regardless of their immigration status--I spent three days last month reporting in Tyler, Texas, where the case originated. The ruling was issued on June 15, 1982.
Mary Ann Zehr, June 6, 2007
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1 min read
"I'm glad we lost the Hispanic [court case]. 50 that those kids could get educated." - James Plyler, former superintendent of the Tyler public schools
"I'm glad we lost the Hispanic [court case]. 50 that those kids could get educated." - James Plyler, former superintendent of the Tyler public schools
Jessica Rinaldi for Education Week
Law & Courts Case Touched Many Parts of Community
In a close-knit Texas city, many of those involved in the Plyer v. Doe case remain, assess impact.
Mary Ann Zehr, June 4, 2007
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3 min read
Twenty-five years ago, the Plyler v. Doe case was first argued in Tyler, Texas. Now, amid debate about illegal immigration, some complain about undocumented Mexican men who often gather in a local parking lot for day labor.
Twenty-five years ago, the Plyler v. Doe case was first argued in Tyler, Texas. Now, amid debate about illegal immigration, some complain about undocumented Mexican men who often gather in a local parking lot for day labor.
Jessica Rinaldi for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Amid Immigration Debate, Settled Ground
A school district marks the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision barring it from charging tuition for undocumented children.
Mary Ann Zehr, June 1, 2007
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8 min read
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