A bill allowing Tennessee public school districts and charter schools to refuse to enroll undocumented students passed the state Senate in April, and now it sits in the House and could pass in the new legislative session that starts Jan. 14.
If enacted, the bill sponsored by State Sen. Bo Watson, R-North Chattanooga, would be a first for the country, likely face legal challenges, and could pose a challenge to a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision that required school districts to educate students regardless of immigration status.
The bill has already achieved one of Watson’s goals, he said, by triggering dialogue and awareness around how the state addresses illegal immigration.
Some of Watson’s constituents have expressed strong dissent for the bill. The Hamilton County school board voted to condemn the legislation in April, and the Hamilton County Principals Association came out in opposition.