The immigration bill that had many Tennesseans aghast a year ago has now passed the state House.
It is the measure that, in its original form in 2025, would have allowed public school districts to not enroll or to disenroll immigrant students who could not provide proof of legal immigration status, or would have allowed districts to charge those families tuition to attend school.
It was a step too far for us, as it was for many who understood the sponsors’ motivation and intentions. We just couldn’t — and can’t — sanction that illegal immigrant children in our country — most here not of their own volition — would not be allowed to attend school and get an education.
The bill (HB073/SB0836), which passed the House on Monday, has changed a good bit, but it still puts innocent schoolchildren in the crosshairs. Instead of not enrolling or disenrolling them, it requires all K-12 public schools to verify the immigration status of students and report it to the state Department of Education.