Plyler v. Doe

The Court held that states cannot deny public school education to children based on their immigration status.

Overview

Texas authorized school districts to exclude undocumented children or charge them tuition. The Court held that even though undocumented immigrants are not a suspect class and education is not a fundamental right, denying innocent children basic education imposed a lifetime of hardship and social cost serving no substantial state interest. Plyler rests on the children's blamelessness and the importance of education to civic participation. The decision remains law though periodically contested in politics, protecting access to public schooling for all children regardless of status.