Image Credit: Hamilton County Schools
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Four elected Republicans support taxpayer-funded education of illegal aliens in Hamilton County.
The Hamilton County Board of Education (HCBE) recently passed a resolution in opposition to a bill which is making its way through the General Assembly. The legislation, sponsored by a Hamilton County lawmaker, would allow public school districts in Tennessee the option to disenroll students who are not lawfully present in the United States.
House Bill 0793 (HB0793), sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) and companion Senate Bill 0836 (SB0836), sponsored by Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson-District 11) would also give school districts the option to require that tuition be charged for students who cannot provide proof of citizenship or legal status.
Tuition would be consistent with the out-of-county charge for any specific district.
Families of students determined to be illegal in the country, would be able to appeal to the Tennessee Department of Education.
Should a school district be sued for refusing enrollment, the construction of the legislation is such that the state’s Attorney General would defend against a lawsuit.
Four Republican HCBE members – Ben Daugherty, Larry Grohn, Gary Kuehn and Joe Smith – joined the four Democrats on the board in voting for the resolution, while the remaining three Republicans – Felice Hadden, Jodi Schaffer, and Steve Slater – abstained from voting.
It is believed that the intent of the legislation, in part, is for a legal challenge to arise which may potentially lead to the overturning of Plyler V. Doe (1982). This Supreme Court decision ruled that states cannot deny children a free public education even if they are in the United States illegally.
While the bill has already passed on the Senate floor, it was placed behind the budget on April 14th in the Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee.
The four HCBE members are not the only Republicans who will not endorse Watson’s bill.
At the recent County Executive Committee meeting, SEC members David Queen and Ken Meyer abstained from voting for a resolution in support of the legislation.
When the bill passed on the Senate floor, seven Republican Tennessee state senators – Senators Richard Briggs, Todd Gardenhire, Ferrell Haile, Becky Massey, Mark Pody, Shane Reeves, and Page Walley – joined their Democrat colleagues in voting against it.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
