A Washington-based civil rights group has issued a stern reminder to attorneys general in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that all students, regardless of their immigration status, can enroll in K-12 public schools.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent the letters late last month as part of an initiative that aims to protect the rights of students, regardless of their immigration status or that of their parents or guardians. The letters urge the attorneys general to enforce their “responsibilities under the law and provide clear, written guidance to the educators of their states on their constitutional obligations” amid the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement.
The 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe makes clear that schools and districts cannot adopt enrollment policies that deny or discourage children from enrolling because of immigration status.
