Knox County School Board Plans Vote on Thursday Whether to Oppose Education Barriers for Undocumented Children

Members of the Knox County School Board (Photo by Knox County Schools)

Retired teacher Candice Boyd was one of more than 20 educators, students, religious leaders, and community members who spoke at Monday night’s Knox County School Board work session in support of a proposed policy priority opposing education barriers for undocumented children.

Candice Boyd speaking at Monday’s work session (Screenshot)

Board members will vote on the proposed priority on Thursday, in response to legislation state lawmakers considered earlier this year that would allow school districts the option of refusing to enroll undocumented children or charging them tuition. The bill passed the State Senate but stalled in the House and could return when lawmakers reconvene in January.

Boyd told board members it’s a “moral imperative” to take a stand against the legislation.

“I taught first, second, and third grade for 28 years. You know all those years, I never met a teacher or an administrator who did not believe every child has a right to a free public education. That’s what public schools are about. Educating children regardless of race, background, family history, health condition, whatever,” said Boyd.

The board also heard from a former English language learner student who graduated from Knoxville’s Farragut High School. She described the opportunity that a free public education provided students like her.

“Even though I passed with A’s the entire time, I was surrounded by kids just like me. Kids learning English, working hard, and trying to find their place in a new environment. Many of those classmates are now in college just like I am. We made it because public education is accessible and free to all of us, regardless of who we are and where we come from,” said the former student.

No member from the public or the board spoke against the policy priority during Monday night’s discussion. It’s one of seven that the board could submit to the Tennessee General Assembly.

Competing Priorities Combined

Initially, board members Katherine Bike and Anne Templeton submitted two similar policy priorities to oppose the legislation. The board combined the two on Monday under the headline “Free Education for All Children,” which reads, “The Knox County Board of Education urges the General Assembly oppose any proposals requiring school districts to collect or monitor student immigration status, as they create legal risks, add administrative burdens, and distract from teaching and learning. The Board affirms the Tennessee Constitution and Supreme Court rulings guaranteeing a free public education for ALL children in Tennessee and opposes any measure that excludes—or seeks to exclude—any child from our schools,”

District 4 Board Member Katherine Bike (Photo by Knox County Schools)

Bike made the case for the policy priority, saying the district doesn’t have the infrastructure to handle immigration checks.

“We don’t have a department that does that. We don’t currently do that, and some of the issues…is that then requiring us to take social security numbers, and what security risks are those?” asked Bike. “Besides that, it would really get in the way of, kind of like, our core mission of like actually educating kids in Knox County.”

Challenging Plyler vs Doe

Supporters of the legislation see it as a way to address budget challenges and an opportunity to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 Plyler vs. Doe decision that prohibits public schools from refusing undocumented students.

“We love children, all children, regardless of immigration status, but we also want to have our constitution properly interpreted, and the simple fact of the matter is that what the Supreme Court did in Plyer vs. Doe was an abomination,” said State Representative Bulso, R-Brentwood, during discussion of the bill last March.