Kansas Bill Wants Schools To Report How Many Undocumented Students They Enroll

Kansas legislator Allan Rothlisberg wants to make sure citizens know exactly how much of their tax money is going toward educating undocumented children.

Rothlisberg, a Republican representative from Grandview Plaza, filed a bill Tuesday that would force school districts to request proof of American citizenship from students through documents like birth certificates and social security cards. After requesting such documents, the bill would have school districts submit a report to the state on the number of undocumented students they enroll. The state would then use these numbers to determine how much money is being used to educate these students, and would publish the numbers online.

“I would prefer we spend tax dollars on citizens and not on illegal aliens,” Rothlisberg told Kansas outlet Lawrence Journal-World.

The bill specifies that schools cannot prohibit undocumented students from enrolling and that information can not be published in a way that allows a "reasonable person to identify a specific child with reasonable certainty.”

Sulma Arias, executive director of Sunflower Community Action, a group that works on immigration and education issues, called the bill "another attempt at intimidation and harassment," per the Lawrence Journal-World.

“This time, these acts of cowardice are directed at our children,” she told the outlet. “In a state like ours, which is proud of our immigrant history, we should keep in mind the outstanding contributions that immigrant students who have attended Kansas public schools have made and continue to make to our state.”

A 1982 Supreme Court ruling made it illegal for states to deny funding to school districts that educate undocumented students.