The Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board narrowly voted down a resolution opposing House Bill 793, legislation that would allow Tennessee school districts to deny undocumented children a free public education.

Speaking before at the Rotary Club of Nashville Monday, O’Connell reaffirmed that his office has done nothing to warrant the investigations now underway in the U.S. House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, though the mayor said both are taxing vital Metro resources.

The resolution states that the district’s legal department has provided guidance to principals about how to respond to requests or visits from ICE so that “no immigration enforcement agency is permitted access” to students or confidential student records without a legal right to do so.

The board is scheduled to vote on a resolution at its May 27 meeting to protect immigrant students who attend district schools.

Both polls asked voters for their support of key education policies that have been backed this year by Republican leaders, including President Trump and Governor Bill Lee.

It received a positive recommendation on a narrow 8-7 margin, with Representative Jeremy Faison, R- Cosby, joining six Democrats on the committee voting against the legislation.

Watson told committee members his bill is meant to help gather information and ease what he calls a financial burden placed on local districts with English language learnerprograms, pointing to a steady rise in the costs of those programs over the past eight years.

Representative William Lamberth’s, R-Portland, bill would give school districts the option to refuse to enroll students that do not have legal immigration status.