TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Bill Allowing Schools to Ban Undocumented Students Passes Senate Committee

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Mar 10, 2025

Tennessee schools could be allowed to deny enrollment or charge tuition based on citizenship status under a bill advancing in the statehouse. SB836 passed the Senate Education Committee 5-4 last week, setting up a challenge to a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established the right to education for students regardless of immigration status. The House bill, HB793, sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, is scheduled to be heard in the K-12 Subcommittee tomorrow. Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixon, a sponsor of the bill, said he proposed the legislation in response to a now-rescinded resolution from the Rutherford County School Board that a surge in students needing English language courses had placed a financial strain on the district. Leaders in the state House have said that the long-term goal of the proposed law is to reverse the high court's 1982 ruling, according to WPLN News. An amendment added to the bill during Senate committee consideration would require schools to verify a student’s legal status before enrollment. Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, opposed the measure, saying the administrative cost of verifying students’ legal statuses, along with the cost of defending lawsuits against the state, exceeds the cost of educating undocumented children.

Law-Related Blogs AND PODCASTS

Check out other law-related blogs and podcasts generated from the Tennessee legal community or of interest to the Tennessee lawyers.