This document discusses the rights of immigrant students to attend public schools under U.S. law and policy. It summarizes the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court ruling that undocumented children have equal rights to public education as U.S. citizens. It outlines that schools may not deny enrollment based on immigration status or request documentation that could expose a student's status, such as social security numbers. The document provides examples of language school districts have included in enrollment notices to clarify these policies and ensure compliance with students' rights.

1. Immigrant Students’
Rights to Attend
Public Schools
ResourceTools for Schools
and Communities
Herramientas de recursos
para escuelas y comunidades
Derechos de los
estudiantes
inmigrantes a asistir
a escuelas públicas
1© IDRA, 2018 August

2. Contents
• Student’s rights by U.S. policy
• Implications of practices that deny or
discourage immigrant children and
families from public schooling
• What schools may not do as a result of
the Plyler ruling
• Sample school district language in
enrollment notices
• School districts resolutions on
responding to ICE
• Lots of resources
2
Infographic –Welcoming
Immigrant Students in School
(English-Spanish)
http://b.link/IDRAigwWelcome

3. 3 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 33
In Plyler vs. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled that children of undocumented
workers and children who themselves
are undocumented have the same right
to attend public primary and secondary
schools as do U.S. citizens and
permanent residents.
Like other students, children of
undocumented workers in fact are
required under state laws to attend
school until they reach a mandated age.
School personnel – especially principals
and those involved with student
registration and enrollment – should be
aware that they have no legal obligation
to enforce U.S. immigration laws.
El Tribunal Supremo de los Estados Unidos,
en el caso Doe vs. Plyler, dictaminó que los
niños de padres indocumentados y los
niños que también son indocumentados
tienen el mismo derecho de asistir a las
escuelas públicas primarias y secundarias
que tienen sus contrapartes de
nacionalidad estadounidense.
Al igual que los demás niños, los
estudiantes indocumentados están
obligados a asistir a la escuela hasta que
llegan a la edad exigida por la ley.
Personal de la escuela – en especial la el
director y los que admiten los estudiantes
– deben ser conscientes de que no tienen
la obligación legal de ejecutar cumplir las
leyes de inmigración de Estados Unidos.
3

4. 4 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 44
Victimize children – Children of
undocumented workers do not choose the
conditions under which they enter the United
States.They should not be punished for
circumstances they do not control. Children have
the right to learn and be useful members of
society.
Hurt the country – Denying children
access to education does not eliminate illegal
immigration. Instead, it ensures the creation of an
underclass.Without public education for children,
illiteracy rates will increase and opportunities for
workforce and community participation will
decrease. Research has proven that for every $1
spent on the education of children, at least $9 is
returned.
Waste valuable time while losing
sight of principal goals of public
education – Rather than teaching students,
school officials would spend their time asking our
millions of school children about their citizenship
status. States would be forced to spend millions
of dollars to do the work of the U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Promote misinformation – Incorrect
assumptions and inappropriate figures have been
used to blame immigrants and their children for
economic problems.
Encourage racism and
discrimination – In turbulent, financially-
troubled times, immigration often becomes a
focal point of public discourse. Many consider a
preoccupation with the immigration status of
children of undocumented workers to be
a form of discrimination and racism.
Practices that deny or discourage immigrant children and families from
public schooling do the following…
4

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Son niños indefensos – Los niños de los
trabajadores indocumentados son indefensos y
esperan la protección de una ley justa y
compasiva. Ellos no eligieron venir a este país o
las condiciones en que están en los Estados
Unidos. No es justo castigar a un niño indefenso;
es mas, tiene derecho a aprender y ser útil a la
sociedad.
Lastimar al país – El negar a estos niños el
acceso a la educación no elimina la inmigración
ilegal, sino que crea una subclase económica en el
país.Aumentarán las tasas de analfabetismo y se
reducirá la participación de éstos en las
comunidades donde viven. Según las
investigaciones, cada dólar que se invierte en la
educación de estos niños tiene un rendimiento de
por lo menos nueve dólares en beneficios para el
país.
Es tiempo valioso que se pierde
cuando perdemos la meta principal
de la escuela – Se pierde mucho tiempo, que
se podría emplear mejor en la educación de estos
niños, cuando los educadores se enfocan en
determinar la ciudadanía de cada estudiante. Esa
no es la responsabilidad del educador. El
educador conciente de su responsabilidad no
tiene el tiempo ni debe permitir que se le agregue
esta responsabilidad.
Cuidado con la información
incorrecta – La distribución de suposiciones y
cifras incorrectas ha causado mucho daño y
creado un ambiente de incertidumbre y fricción
entre grupos de ciudadanos.
Impulsan el racismo y la
discriminación– Estamos viviendo en una
época de mucha discordia y dificultades
económicas en este país. Siempre que esto
sucede renace esta preocupación por la
inmigración que muchos consideran como
racismo y discriminación.
Prácticas que niegan o desalientan a los niños y familias inmigrantes de la
escuela pública resultan en lo siguient…
5

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As a result of the Plyler ruling, public schools may NOT…
• make inquiries of students or parents intended
to expose their undocumented status;
• deny admission to a student during initial
enrollment or at any other time on the basis of
undocumented status;
• treat a student differently to determine
residency;
• engage in any practices to “chill” the right of
access to school, such as requiring driver’s
licenses of parents to register their child;
• require students or parents to disclose or
document their immigration status;
• demand that parents produce driver’s licenses or
other identification documents for which
undocumented immigrants may not qualify for
registering children; or
• require social security numbers from all students,
as this may expose undocumented status.
6

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A raíz de la decisión Plyler, las escuelas públicas NO PUEDEN…
• interrogar a estudiantes o padres con la intención de
obligarlos a exponer y revelar su situación de
indocumentados;
• negarle la matrícula a un estudiante basándose en su
situación legal y/o inmigratoria, ya sea a principios del
curso o durante el año escolar;
• tratar a un estudiante en forma desigual verificando la
situación de residencia de ciertos estudiantes;
• promover prácticas cuyo resultado es negar el derecho
de acceso a los servicios escolares, tales como
requerir licencias de conducir de los padres para
registrar a su niño;
• requerir que un estudiante o sus padres revelen o
documenten su situación inmigratoria;
• demandar que los padres produzcan licencias de
conducir u otros documentos de identificación que
impide que los inmigrantes indocumentados puedan
calificar para el registro de sus hijos; o
• exigir que un estudiante obtenga un número de seguro
social como requisito de admisión a la escuela.
7

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Schools should not use Social Security numbers for
identification or registration purposes. For those
schools that do, it should be clear from the
beginning that students who do not present a Social
Security number will be assigned a number
generated by the school.While schools may request
a birth certificate, they may not bar students from
enrolling if they do not have a birth certificate.
Adults without Social Security numbers who are
applying for a free lunch and/or breakfast program
for a student need only state on the application that
they do not have a Social Security number.
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
prohibits schools from providing any outside
agency – including the ICE agency – with any
information from a child’s school file that
would expose the student’s undocumented
status.The only exception is if an agency gets
a court order (subpoena) that parents can
then challenge. Schools should note that even
requesting such permission from parents
might act to “chill” a student’s Plyler rights.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S.
Department of Education in 2014 clarified the
intent of the Plyler ruling in a letter advising
school officials that activities that deny or
discourage students to attend school are
unlawful.The letter begins,“Under federal law,
state and local educational agencies are
required to provide all children with equal
access to public education at the elementary
and secondary level.”
8

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Las escuelas no deben usar números de Seguro Social
para fines de identificación o registro. Para aquellas
escuelas que lo hagan, debe estar claro desde el
principio que a los estudiantes que no presenten un
número de Seguro Social se les asignará un número
generado por la escuela.Aunque las escuelas pueden
solicitar un certificado de nacimiento, no pueden
impedir que los estudiantes se inscriban si no tienen un
certificado de nacimiento. Los adultos sin números de
Seguro Social que necesitan almuerzo y/o desayuno
gratis sólo tienen que indicar que no tienen Seguro
Social.Allí debe terminar.
Además, el Acta Familiar de Derechos y Privacidad
Escolar (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act) le
prohibe a las escuelas proveer a cualquier agencia
externa – incluyendo la agencia ICE – cualquier
información del archivo personal de un estudiante
que pudiera revelar su estado legal. La única
excepción es cuando una agencia obtiene una orden
judicial – conocida como una citación o subpoena –
que los padres pueden apelar o retar. El mero hecho
de pedirle tal permiso a los padres podría violar los
derechos reconocidos por Doe vs. Plyler.
El Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU. y el
Departamento de Educación de EE.UU., en el 2014
aclaró el intento del fallo del tribunal en la decisión
Plylar y ha publicado y distribuido una carta
aconsejando a administradores de escuela que el
negar o disuadir a estudiantes indocumentados o de
padres indocumentados es ilegal y contra este
dictamen legal. La carta comienza así:“Bajo la ley
federal, agencias educativas tanto estatales como
locales están obligadas a proporcionar a todo niño
la igualdad de acceso a la educación pública a nivel
de primaria y secundaria.” Las órdenes ejecutivas
recientes emitidas por la Administración no alteran
el derecho de los estudiantes indocumentados a
recibir una educación pública gratuita.
9

10. 10 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 1010
Yet a number of schools are posting notices like
these pictured here and on school websites that
indicate Social Security cards and birth certificates
are required before a family can register their child
for school. Such practices are in direct violation
of Plyler vs. Doe.
Schools should not use Social Security numbers for
identification or registration purposes. For those
schools that do, it should be clear from the
beginning that students who do not present a
Social Security number will be assigned a number
generated by the school.While schools may
request a birth certificate, they may not bar
students from enrolling if they do not have a birth
certificate.
10
Violates Plyler vs.
Doe

11. 11 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 1111
Sin embargo, un número de escuelas está publicando
avisos como en la foto aquí y en sitios web escolares
que indican que tarjetas de Seguro Social y certificados
de nacimiento son necesarios antes de que una familia
pueda registrar a su hijo en la escuela. Estas prácticas
constituyen una violación directa de Plyler vs. Doe.
Las escuelas no deben usar números de Seguro Social
para fines de identificación o registro. Para aquellas
escuelas que lo hagan, debe estar claro desde el
principio que a los estudiantes que no presenten un
número de Seguro Social se les asignará un número
generado por la escuela.Aunque las escuelas pueden
solicitar un certificado de nacimiento, no pueden
impedir que los estudiantes se inscriban si no tienen un
certificado de nacimiento.
11
Viola Plyler vs.
Doe

12. 12 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 1212
Some school districts are including language in their enrollment notices, like:
Not only should undocumented students not be discouraged from attending, they are required to
attend school under the state’s compulsory education laws.And parents should be assured that the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act restricts schools from sharing information with the U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
• “If the student does not have a Social Security number, XYZ ISD will assign a Public Education
Information Management System (PEIMS) number. No student may be denied enrollment
solely because of failure to meet the documentation requirements. Enrollment is provisional,
however, pending receipt of the required documentation and verification of eligibility.”
• “The XYZ Independent School District does not
prevent students from enrolling if a Social Security
card is not presented.The Social Security Number
is used for identification purposes when reporting
student information to the Texas Education
Agency.The campus will assign a computer
generated number when a card is not presented.”
• “Providing a Social Security card or number is
optional.The XYZ Independent School District
will not refuse enrollment of any student opting
not to provide a Social Security card/number. In
lieu, a state identification number will be provided
for educational purposes only.”
12

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Algunos distritos escolares están incluyendo lenguaje en sus
avisos de inscripción, como:
A los estudiantes indocumentados no se debe desalientar asistir. Están requeridos a asistir la
escuela de acuerdo a las leyes de educación obligatoria estatales. Los padres deben ser asegurados
de que la Ley de Derechos Educativos y Privacidad Familiar restringe escuelas de compartir
información con la agencia de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas.
• “El Distrito Escolar Independiente de XYZ no impide
que los estudiantes se matriculen si una tarjeta de
Seguro Social no es presentada. El número de Seguro
Social se usa para el proposito de identificación al
reportar la información del estudiante a la Agencia de
Educación de Texas. El campus asignará un número
generado por computadora cuando no se presenta una
tarjeta.”
• “Proporcionar una tarjeta de Seguro Social o número
es opcional. El Distrito Escolar Independiente de XYZ
no le negará la inscripción a cualquier estudiante por
optar no proporcionar una tarjeta / número de Seguro
Social. En su lugar, se le proporcionará un número de
identificación estatal sólo para propositos educativos.”
• “Si el estudiante no tiene un número de Seguro Social, XYZ ISD le asignará un número otorgado por
Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). No se le puede negar la inscripción a ningún
estudiante por el solo hecho de no cumplir con los requisitos de documentación. La inscripción es
provisional, sin embargo, durante la documentación y verificación de elegibilidad requerida.”

14. 14 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 1414
School Districts Resolutions
on Responding to ICE
School districts across the country have issued
resolutions and updated their policies to protect
students’ rights in light of uncertainty regarding
federal immigration enforcement activities in their
schools. Many of these statements affirm the districts’
mission to ensure all students have a safe and positive
learning environment, and they outline guidance to
school personnel on how to respond to requests
from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) agents for data or access to their campus.
School leaders are actively affirming the welcoming
environment they intend to maintain along with
spelling out their non-discrimination policies,
procedures for collecting student information,
commitment to the communities they serve, and
measures for communicating with students’ families.
Some of the resolutions set up timelines for training
of school staff, including teachers and campus police.
IDRA’s website provides links to sample statements.
If your district of campus is considering issuing a
resolution of its own, these samples can be a useful
reference.
14
https://budurl.me/2-IDRAimmiged
Resoluciones de los distritos
escolares sobre la respuesta a ICE
Los distritos escolares de todo el país han emitido
resoluciones y actualizado sus políticas para proteger los
derechos de los estudiantes dada la incertidumbre con
respecto a las actividades federales de aplicación de la ley de
inmigración en sus escuelas. Muchas de estas declaraciones
confirman la misión del distrito de asegurar que todos los
estudiantes tengan un ambiente de aprendizaje seguro y
positivo, y delinean una guía para el personal escolar sobre
cómo responder a las solicitudes de información o acceso de
los agentes de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) a sus
escuelas.
Los líderes escolares afirman activamente el ambiente
acogedor que intentan mantener junto con la definición de sus
políticas de no discriminación, los procedimientos para
recopilar información de los estudiantes, el compromiso con
las comunidades a las que sirven y las medidas para
comunicarse con las familias de los estudiantes.Algunas de las
resoluciones establecen plazos para la capacitación del personal
escolar, incluidos los maestros y la policía del campus.
El sitio web de IDRA proporciona enlaces a declaraciones de
muestra. Si el distrito al que su escuela pertenece está
considerando emitir una resolución propia, estas muestras
pueden ser una referencia útil.

15. 15
At IDRA, we are working to strengthen schools to work for all
children, families and communities. Help us make this goal a reality
for every child; we simply cannot afford the alternatives. Denying
children of undocumented workers access to an education is
unconstitutional and against the law.
En IDRA, nos unimos a educadores para fortalecer a las escuelas a
proveer la igualdad de oportunidad y practicar equitativamente un
programa de instrucción para todos los niños, familias y
comunidades.Ayúdenos a hacer de este objetivo una realidad para
todos los niños. Negando a los niños el acceso a la educación es.

16. 16
Resources

17. 17 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 1717
School Districts Pass Resolutions on
Responding to ICE, IDRA news story with samples:
• http://budurl.com/IDRAakeA17
Plyler vs. Doe decision
• http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/457/202
IDRA Classnotes Podcast episode on “Immigrant
Children’s Rights to Attend Public Schools.”
• http://budurl.com/IDRApod94
17
For more information or to report incidents
of school exclusion or delay,call:
• META (Nationwide) 617- 628-2226
• MALDEF (Los Angeles) 213-629-2512
• MALDEF (San Antonio) 210-224-5476
• NY Immigration Hotline (Nationwide) 212-
419-3737
• MALDEF (Chicago) 312-427-0701
• MALDEF (Washington,D.C.) 202-293-2828
• ACLU (Nationwide) 212-549-2500
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law (Nationwide) 888-299-5227
• RAICES 210-226-7722
IDRA EAC-South –The federally-funded
equity assistance center that serves schools
and districts in Washington,D.C., and 11
states:Alabama,Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina,Tennessee,Texas andVirginia.
• https://www.idraeacsouth.org/

18. 18 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 1818
Letter from the U.S. Department of
Justice and the U.S. Department of
Education (May 2014) advising school officials
that activities that deny or discourage students to
attend school are unlawful.
• http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/edu/documents/plylerlet
ter.pdf
Educational Services for Immigrant
Children andThose Recently Arrived
to the United States, U.S. Department of
Education guidance, resources and frequently
asked questions.
• http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/guid/unaccompanied-
children.html
18
Joint guidance letter from the U.S. Departments of Education
and Justice describing the obligations of states and school
districts under federal law to provide all children – regardless of
immigration status – with equal access to public education at the
elementary and secondary levels.The letter also is available
in Spanish.
• English: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-
201405.pdf
• Spanish: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201405-
sp.pdf
Guidance* is available in
• Spanish, http://budurl.com/USDOEimS
• Chinese, http://budurl.com/USDOEimC
• Arabic, http://budurl.com/USDOEimA
• Korean, http://budurl.com/USDOEimK
• Tagalog, http://budurl.com/USDOEimT
• Vietnamese. http://budurl.com/USDOEimV
English Learner Resources – Federal laws prohibit
denial of equal access to education because of a student's limited
proficiency in English. States and school districts must
provide English learner students with language
assistance services so that they can meaningfully
participate in education programs. Additionally, states and
school districts must ensure that they effectively communicate
to English learner parents and caretakers the information that is
provided to English-speaking parents. Information on equal
access to a high-quality education also is available in Spanish.
• English: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ellresources.html
• Spanish: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/equalaccess2004-
sp.html
* These documents were archived in early 2017. Updated versions may be available.
Federal Resources

19. 19 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 1919
High School Equivalency Program
(HEP) – This website provides an overview of
the High School Equivalency Program, a program
designed to help migrant and seasonal farm
workers and members of their immediate families
obtain the equivalent of a high school diploma
and to gain employment or begin postsecondary
education or training.
• http://www2.ed.gov/programs/hep/index.html
Migrant Education Program (MEP) –
This website provides an overview of the Migrant
Education Program, which funds support high-
quality education programs for migratory children
and ensures migratory children who move
between states are not penalized for disparities in
curriculum, graduation requirements, academic
achievement standards, or academic content.
• http://www2.ed.gov/programs/mep/index.html
Plyler vs. Doe Factsheet – contains
information on the rights of all children to enroll
in school.The factsheet also is available in Spanish.
• English:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-
factsheet-201405.pdf
• Spanish:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/qa-
201405-sp.pdf
19
Question and Answer Document for states, school
districts, and parents; also available in Spanish.
• English: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/qa-201405.pdf
• Spanish: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-factsheet-
201405-sp.pdf
Questions and Answers about Education
Records – Schools maintain education records about students
who are or were enrolled in the school. Education records can be
used when students apply for college or entry into other types of
education programs, such as career training programs and when
students request DACA.This document provides answers to
frequently asked questions about education records, including
types of records, what they contain, how to locate them, and how
to request them.
• http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/qa-201405.pdf
White House Initiative on Education Excellence
for Hispanics – This webpage provides an overview of
WHIEEH, including its purpose, objectives, contact information,
and relevant links.The WHIEEH aims to increase the education
outcomes for Hispanic students, from cradle-to-career.
• Webpage: http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/hispanic-initiative/
• Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/W.H.I.onEducationExcellenceforHispanics
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HispanicEd
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders (AAPI) – This webpage provides an
overview of the AAPI initiative, including facts and data,
resources, and contact information.
• http://budurl.com/AAPI

20. 20 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 2020
State-Level Resources
Information on student enrollment in the states served by the IDRA EAC-South...
• Alabama: 2015 AlabamaAttendance Manual - Alabama State Department Education
• Arkansas: Enrollment
• Florida: Attendance and Enrollment
• Georgia: Student Enrollment andWithdrawal
• Louisiana: Title 28:CXV, Bulletin 741: Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators (doc)
• Mississippi: Mississippi Kindergarten Guidelines
• North Carolina: School Attendance and Student Accounting Manual 2016 - 2017
• South Carolina: SC Administrators' Guide: Students
• Tennessee: FrequentlyAsked Questions
• Texas: Attendance,Admission,Enrollment Records, andTuition August 2017
• Virginia: Student Enrollment Requirements - SchoolYear 2016-2017
• Washington,D.C.: How to Enroll and Immigration Guidance
20
The IDRA EAC-South is one of four regional equity assistance centers funded by the U.S.
Department of Education to provide technical assistance and training to school districts and
other local education agencies. Learn more at: https://www.idra.org/eac-south

21. 21 © IDRA, 2017 August 8/15/2018 2121 21
Resources for Elementary and
Secondary School-aged Students and
their Families
Bridging RefugeeYouth & Children’s Services – Includes a
wide variety of resources and information for anyone who is
raising, caring for, or helping a refugee, migrant, or immigrant child
in the United States.The “promising practices” section of the site is
particularly helpful, where you can select by topic and state to find
local programs and services that support these youth.
• http://www.brycs.org/
Includes resources for schools:
• Involving Refugee Parents in their Children's Education
• Multilingual School-Related Resources for Refugee Families
• Immigrant/Refugee Awareness Instructional Materials
• Children's Books about the Refugee/Immigrant Experience
• Addressing Refugee ChildWelfare Concerns in the Schools
• Items Created by Refugee School Impact Grantees
• Addressing Ethnic Conflicts
• Bullying & Discrimination
ForeignTranscript Evaluation
• Interpretation/Translation in the Schools
• Refugee and Immigrant Students and Special Education
• Students with Interrupted Formal Education
• Highlighted Program Evaluation Resources
• Post-High School College and Career Readiness

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College Board – Advising Undocumented
Students on Higher Education – This guide
from the College Board is counselor-focused and aimed
at helping undocumented students navigate admissions
and financial aid as they enter higher education. It
emphases being informed, reaching out to students
early, and communicating with your students.
• https://professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/financial-
aid/undocumented-students
Education Resources on Immigration,
Immigrants and Anti-Immigrant Bias – The
Anti-Defamation League’s website contains a wide
variety of resources that can be broken down into
different categories depending on who will find them
the most useful.
• ForTeachers: Lesson plans to challenge anti-
immigrant bias, learning through art, learning about
the DREAMers, and information on sanctuary
cities.
• For Parents and Community Members:
Dispelling myths about immigrants, family
separations at the border, DREAMer information,
refugees and the world response, helping students
make sense of news stories about bias and
injustice, listening to the voices of immigrant and
Muslim youth, standing up to bigoted language.
• https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-
strategies/education-resources-on-immigration-immigrants-and-
anti
Ensuring Every Undocumented Student
Succeeds – Human Rights Institute and
theWomen’s Refugee Commission – This is
the report described in the NEA article below (“How
Undocumented Students are Turned Away from Public
Schools”) about obstacles to undocumented students
attending public schools in the United States. It
describes barriers to these students attending school
and detailed information on the impact of ICE raids on
their education.
• https://www.law.georgetown.edu/human-rights-institute/wp-
content/uploads/sites/7/2017/07/2016-HRI-Report-English.pdf
GLSEN Information on Undocumented Student
Rights (DACA emphasis) – GLSEN, along with the
EducationCounsel, put together information about
undocumented students’ rights to attend schools,
especially in response to recent anti-immigrant policies.
• https://www.glsen.org/article/daca-undocumented-students-
rights-equal-access-k-12-public-schools
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How Undocumented Students areTurned
Away from Public Schools – This article
explains barriers to undocumented students receiving
public education in response to a report by the Human
Rights Institute and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
Specifically, the report explains the ways schools have
been observed discouraging these students from
enrolling or attending school.The researchers primarily
looked at schools in Georgia, NewYork, North Carolina,
andTexas.
• http://neatoday.org/2016/04/22/undocumented-students-public-
schools/
Legal Issues for School Districts Related to
the Education of Undocumented Children,
This publication by the National School Boards
Association and NEA (2009) describes legal issues for
school districts regarding the rights of undocumented
students to receive an education, school admittance, and
ice investigations.
• http://go.sdsu.edu/education/cescal-conference/files/06159-
NEALegal09undocumentedchildren.pdf
NationalAssociation of Secondary School
Principals – Undocumented Students’
Right to Attend School – This entry contains
some projected information on how many
undocumented students are living in the nation,
“Rresearchers estimate that 1.8 million undocumented
children and youth are now living in the country.”The
article also notes that states that are seeing a rise in
immigrant populations are also subject to more raids by
the federal government, putting the children and their
families in jeopardy. It provides a breakdown of how
different stakeholders can help alleviate the issue and
enable students to safely and confidently attend school –
from the federal to the school level.
• https://www.nassp.org/policy-advocacy-center/nassp-position-
statements/undocumented-students/
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Resources for Supporting and Educating
Migrant Refugee Children,NEA – Contains
resources and links to groups and information sites to
help undocumented or refugee children attend public
school.
• http://www.nea.org/home/61723.htm
Resources for Educators to Support
Undocumented Students and Families –
This guide was provided by the California Equity
Leadership Alliance (CELA) to support the educational
success of minority students. It has numerous resources
for teachers, families and communities.
• Classroom and School Resources: building
relationships, lesson plan tips, teaching tolerance,
resources and guides for teachers, talking points about
the current political climate, links to professional
development webinars, and links to the museum of
tolerance.
• Fact Sheets:These sheets range widely in topics from
discussion of local laws to a student guide on the
potential phasing out of DACA.
• Legal Resources and Guides
• Position Statements
• Policy Briefs
• Sample Resolutions
• Social and Emotional Support: Links to information on
hotlines for parents experiencing worry about their
students, tips for helping children cope through
trauma and anxiety, tips for dealing with heightened
community stress.
• https://west.edtrust.org/undocumented-students-toolkit/
Still Living Undocumented:FiveYears
Later – This is a guide for teachers who use the film
“Still Living Undocumented” as part of their lesson plans
on the education of immigrant/migrant children and
overall education on immigration law and reform.
• http://livingundocumented.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Still-
Living-Undocumented_2018.pdf
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TeachingTolerance: Toolkit for
“Immigrant and Refugee Children:A
Guide for Educators and School Support
Staff” – The guide is an overview of how men and women
in the schools can properly cope and work toward educating
all immigrant and refugee children who come through their
doors. The site contains links teachers can peruse for lesson
plans and more information and resources about helping their
immigrant, migrant, and refugee students.
• https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2017/toolkit-for-
immigrant-and-refugee-children-a-guide-for-educators-and-
school
Texas School Board Association Letter –
The letter cites immigrant student rights to attend
public schools in light of recent immigration practices
and affirms that students’ rights to attend public
schools are likely to be unaffected. It outlines different
classification of students and under what legal
framework they are to attend school.
• https://www.tasb.org/Services/Legal-Services/TASB-
School-Law-
eSource/Students/documents/student_immigration_issue
s.aspx
Washington State OSPI and Immigrant
Students’ Rights to Attend Public
Schools
– This is a short but well-written notice on
undocumented, migrant, and immigrant students’ rights
to attend public school. It also acknowledges that
school personnel should actively work against efforts
to deny undocumented children the right to attend
schools via active or passively aggressive behaviors
about residency or registration.There are also links, to
include a booklet in English and Spanish about
immigrants’ right to attend school.
• http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/ImmigrantRights.aspx

26. Intercultural Development Research Association
Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, President & CEO
5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101
San Antonio, Texas 78228
210-444-1710 • contact@idra.org
www.idra.org
Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child
through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and
succeed in college.
Sign up to get IDRA
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Printable one-page flier in
English & Spanish
Classnotes Podcast on the
rights of immigrant students
to attend public school
26
Infographic – Welcoming
Immigrant Students in
School