FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2025
CONTACT
Breana Staten, bstaten@edtrust.org
Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee House of Representatives adjourned without advancing HB 793, rendering it dead for the 2025 legislative session. The legislation tried to deny enrollment and/or charge tuition to certain immigrant students based on their ability to prove immigration status.
Below are statements from steering committee leaders of the Education for All Tennessee campaign:
“From day one of this legislation’s introduction, Tennesseans have made clear just how much they reject the idea of kicking kids out of schools for who they are or where they were born. For weeks, Tennesseans have been showing up to committees, packing the halls of the legislature, and delivering thousands of emails and phone calls with a clear message: every child deserves access to public education. Tennesseans understood that this wasn’t just a fight for the children of our communities, but that this bill had national implications should litigation make its way to the Supreme Court. This is a victory for children everywhere, reinforcing what we already know, that it’s in our collective interest to ensure that every child can attend public school, no matter how much money their parents have, what they look like, or where they were born,” said Lisa Sherman Luna, Executive Director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC).
“The Education for All-Tennessee campaign is a powerful testament to what we can achieve when we come together with a shared goal. Today’s win is a victory for Tennessee and the entire country, ” said Alexza Barajas Clark, Executive Director of EdTrust-Tennessee. “The defeat of this harmful bill is not just a legislative outcome; it demonstrates the unstoppable power of Tennessee educators, parents, and students who understand that the foundation of every child’s opportunity is education. Through continued alignment, coalition building, and mutual support we can ensure that we protect that right for every child no matter who they are or how they came to call Tennessee home.”
“Our members have been on the ground, talking with their neighbors, and urging their local school boards to join the call to reject this deeply unpopular and backwards legislation,” said Austin Sauerbrei, Executive Director of Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment. “Parents, educators, and students in our communities have real hopes for what our public schools can be, and they’re ready to fight for that. There’s a lot of work to do and real change has to come from the ground up, from those most affected by the laws our legislators are passing. Along with our Education for All Tennessee campaign partners, we helped ensure that the voices of everyday Tennesseans from Memphis to Mountain City were heard.”
“This country was built on the premise of providing opportunity and education to all who make this nation their home,” said Gloria Sweet Love, President at the NAACP Tennessee. “It is critical that we continue to provide free, high-quality K-12 public education to every child and family that seeks it, and it’s clear Tennesseans agreed that failing to do so would betray the civil and human rights that those before us fought so hard to secure.”
Background:
Upon introduction, HB 793 and its Senate version SB 836 were immediately opposed by more than 65 organizations who came together to form the Education for All Tennessee campaign. Steered by TIRRC, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), the Education Trust Tennessee, and the Tennessee Chapter of the NAACP, Education for All Tennessee partners were integral in educating Tennesseans about the legislation and mobilizing them to take action.
The bill gained widespread, bipartisan opposition, especially as it highlights a continued attack on fully funded public education and implications for civil rights. Also opposed by numerous business owners, faith leaders, and educators, hundreds of Tennesseans have taken action by showing up at the state legislature, sending over 6000 emails and making over 3000 phone calls to lawmakers. Additionally, multiple local school boards have adopted resolutions, including the Murfreesboro City Schools Board of Education and Franklin County School Board, opposing the measure at the response of localized, on the ground organizing.
To read more about the implications of this bill view EdTrust-Tennessee’s Protecting Undocumented Student Access to K-12 Public Education policy memo.
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