Plyler v.

Doe (1982)
Legal Brief # 2 RE: Public Education for Immigrant Students

Citation:
- American Immigration Council (2012). Retrieved April 23rd, 2017 from
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/plyler-v-doe-public-education-
immigrant-students
Facts:
- In 1975, the Texas legislature allowed local school districts to deny enrollment in public
schools to foreign-born children who were not legally admitted to the United States.
- The Tyler Independent School District adopted a policy requiring foreign born students to
pay tuition if they were not legally admitted.
- Children were considered legally admitted if (1) they possessed documentation
showing that they were legally present in the United States, or (2) federal immigration
authorities confirmed they were in the process of securing such documentation.
- A group of students who were from Mexico could not establish that they were legally
admitted under the criteria required by the Tyler Independent School District.
- The group of students brought a class action lawsuit challenging the policy. The Supreme
Court eventually reviewed the case.
Issues:
- The issue for the case Plyler v. Doe, is whether States are able to deny students access to
public education based on the students immigration status.
Ruling:
- Plyler v. Doe ruled against Plyler and the School District, holding that states cannot
constitutionally deny students a free public education on account of their immigration
status.
- The court based its ruling on the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which
says in part, No State shalldeny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws. Also known as the Equal Protection Clause.
Rationale:
- The court found that the school district had no rational basis to deny children a public
education based on their immigration status, given the harm the policy would inflict on
the children themselves and society as a whole.
Conclusion:
- This ruling has stood for more than 30 years, and it protects immigrant students, and
ensures that they have equal opportunity to a good education.
- However, the right to have a solid education, which was defended by the Supreme Court
of the United States, is still debated and challenged at the local and state level to this day.