2018 NLADA Annual Conference--Resilient Justice

In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Plyler v. Doe that students could not be constitutionally denied a free public education on account of their immigration status. In addition to Plyler, civil rights laws—Title VI, EEOA, IDEA—guarantee meaningful access to educational opportunities for all children regardless of national origin and to all parents by requiring schools to communicate with them in a language they understand. Amid the atmosphere of increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement, some localities have stepped up protection and support for immigrant students and their families, while others blatantly violate long-standing policies. With a federal Department of Education that seems inclined to weaken the efforts of the Office of Civil Rights and indications that Trump Administration support for Plyler and language access may disappear, the need to support immigrant students and their families takes on new urgency. This panel will review the educational rights of immigrant families, connecting those policies to state and local implementation. We will also discuss legal strategies and current litigation.