Tennessee legislators are considering legislation that would allow schools to refuse to enroll students who are “unlawfully present” in the U.S.
The bills, introduced by Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, in the Senate and Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, in the House as House Bill 793, apply to local education agencies and private charter schools.
Democrats went immediately on the attack.
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The bill is an attempt to overturn Plyler V. Doe, the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said states could not bar children of undocumented immigrants from attending school.
The bills by Watson and Hixson do not mandate that schools bar illegal immigrants, it allows them to do so.
“Tennessee Republicans continue to use their power to silence, censor, and single out communities they don’t value,” said Senate Democratic Chair London Lamar, D-Memphis.
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Watson told The Tennessean that school systems are dealing with limited resources.
“An influx of illegal immigration can strain (local education agencies) and put significant pressure on their budgets,” Watson said.
The bill filed this month comes after lawmakers agreed to create the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division to act as a liaison with the Trump administration on immigration. Members of local governing boards could also be charged with a Class E felony for supporting sanctuary cities.
* Original Article:
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/bill-would-allow-schools-refuse-students-unlawfully-present-us