Dear community, a quartet of young students read, do you remember the first time you stepped into a classroom?
School is where students grow, make friends and build their dreams, one student said as the group traded off reading a letter to state Sen. Bo Watson, R-North Chattanooga, and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, the sponsors of a bill that would allow school districts to deny enrollment to unauthorized immigrant students.
“If this law passes, where will our dreams go?” one student read. “What will happen to the future doctors, teachers and leaders sitting in classrooms today? According to the U.S. Constitution, every child has the right to learn. This bill isn’t just about the children who will be affected. It’s about all the dreams and knowledge that will be stopped if this bill passes. It’s about the kind of community we are trying to build and communities without an education is not a community we are working towards.”
Together, they signed off — “With hope, students of Tennessee” — before leading a chant of “here to learn.”
Around 200 teachers, faith leaders and community members gathered Sunday at First Christian Church on McCallie Avenue to rally for the right of all children, regardless of immigration status, to receive an education.