Tennessee GOP Pushes Education Ban Echoing Jim Crow—First Undocumented Kids
First, it’s immigrant children. Next, it’s LGBTQ+ students, disabled kids, and the poor. This is a test—and if they win, they won’t stop here.
For over 40 years, one Supreme Court ruling has stood as a moral and constitutional shield, ensuring that every child in America—regardless of their immigration status—has the right to an education.
That decision, Plyler v. Doe (1982), struck down attempts to bar undocumented children from public schools, ruling that such discrimination violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court affirmed what should be a simple truth: children should not be punished for the circumstances of their birth.
But now, in 2025, Tennessee Republicans are directly attacking that precedent. A new bill, spearheaded by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) and Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson), has already cleared its first legislative hurdle, passing the House K-12 Subcommittee in a narrow 5-3 vote. If passed, the bill would allow public schools to deny enrollment to undocumented children, setting up a legal battle that could make its way to the Supreme Court.
The stakes could not be higher. This is not just a Tennessee issue; it’s a deliberate attempt to rewrite the constitutional rights of millions of children nationwide.
And if history has taught us anything, this attack won’t stop with immigrant children.
The Jim Crow Playbook, Rewritten for 2025
The strategy behind this bill is eerily familiar to anyone who has studied segregationist policies of the past. This is not just about denying education to one group; it’s about creating a legal precedent that can be expanded to other marginalized communities.
In the Jim Crow era, Southern states fought desegregation by:
Ignoring Supreme Court precedent (Brown v. Board of Education), just like Tennessee does now with Plyler v. Doe.
Proposing “separate but equal” as a compromise, which never meant equality.
Framing exclusion as “states’ rights” or “parental choice”, just like today’s conservatives use “school choice” to justify discrimination.
Setting up loopholes to justify exclusion, like literacy tests for Black voters, just as they now use “cost-saving” arguments to deny education to immigrant and disabled students.
Tennessee’s bill is just Step One. If they succeed, who’s next?
LGBTQ+ students? – “They’re pushing a political agenda.” (We already see bans on LGBTQ+ discussions in schools.)
Disabled students? – “They require too many accommodations.” (Special ed programs are already being gutted in red states.)
Low-income students? – “They disrupt the classroom.” (They’ve already criminalized poverty with school suspensions and the school-to-prison pipeline.)
This is a test case. Tennessee Republicans are daring the courts to stop them. If they win, they will keep expanding who they exclude.
Public Outcry: Protesters Shut Down the Tennessee Statehouse
Tennessee lawmakers might have expected the passage of this bill to be quiet, but the public response has been anything but.
On March 11, 2025, the House K-12 Education Subcommittee voted 5-3 to advance the bill. Within hours, protests erupted across the state.
Hundreds of protesters flooded the committee room, chanting, "Education for all!" and "Let us learn!" The demonstration grew so intense that it temporarily halted legislative proceedings.
One of the most potent voices came from Damian Felipe Jimenez, a sixth-grade student from Knoxville, who testified before lawmakers:
“We just want to learn. We just want a future.”
Even some Republicans are pushing back. State Senator Todd Gardenhire has called the bill "morally indefensible."
A Coordinated Attack on Public Education
This assault on immigrant children's right to education isn't happening in isolation. It's part of a broader effort to dismantle public education at both state and federal levels.
The Trump administration is actively gutting the Department of Education. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has already laid off nearly half of the department’s workforce, marking the first step toward eliminating the agency.
This power vacuum is emboldening states like Tennessee to pursue exclusionary policies. Without federal oversight, there’s no enforcement mechanism to stop them.
This is a coordinated strategy to dismantle public education entirely. First, they defund it. Then, they restrict access. Then, they privatize it, leaving only the privileged with a real education.
Call Them Out: The Politicians Behind This Bill
House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) – Chief sponsor of the bill, pushing for legal discrimination against children.
Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson) – The bill’s lead Senate sponsor, eager to set a dangerous precedent.
Governor Bill Lee – Hasn’t spoken publicly about the bill yet but has a history of attacking public education and immigrants.
If you live in Tennessee, let them know this bill does not reflect your values.
📢 Contact your lawmakers. Protest. Vote. If we let this pass, we are opening the door for Jim Crow-era exclusion to come back in full force.
The fight for public education is a fight for democracy itself. Even if you are not in Tennessee, contact your elected officials and tell them this will not stand because we won’t let it. This is one of Tennessee’s worst ideas, and we will not tolerate it anywhere else either.
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See our ongoing coverage of the Trump Regime’s attacks on education:
Bibliography & Sources
"New York sues to halt Trump's effort to abolish the Department of Education." Times Union, March 12, 2025. https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/new-york-trying-save-us-department-education-20219870.php
"As California sues over Education Dept. cuts, feds have already closed S.F. civil rights office." San Francisco Chronicle, March 12, 2025. https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/california-education-department-20220225.php
"What to know about Trump's plan to eliminate the Department of Education." Axios, November 13, 2024. https://www.axios.com/2024/11/13/trump-republicans-eliminate-education-department
"Education Secretary Linda McMahon says mass layoffs are 'first step' toward eliminating agency: 'We're not taking away education'." New York Post, March 11, 2025. https://nypost.com/2025/03/11/us-news/education-secretary-linda-mcmahon-mass-layoffs-first-step-to-eliminate-doe/
"Tennessee's push to jail officials backing immigration 'sanctuary' raises alarm." The Guardian, March 12, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/12/tennessee-immigration-policies
"Tennessee Republicans seek to allow public schools to reject undocumented students." Axios Nashville, February 5, 2025. https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/02/05/tennessee-republican-undocumented-student-schools
Why does anyone think we are better off not educating children regardless of status? The better educated and healthier our kids are, the better for everyone.
All I hear is hate coming out of that side of the aisle. I don’t care what anybody says about working with them to hell with them.