Which case outcome prevents charging tuition to undocumented ELL students?

• A. Plyler v. Doe
• B. Tinker v. Des Moines
• C. Brown v. Board
• D. Miranda v. Arizona

Answer: (A)

Public education is a fundamental right for all children living in the United States, regardless of immigration status. In Plyler v. Doe (1982), the Supreme Court held that a state cannot deny a free public education to undocumented children or charge them tuition through immigration-based rules. This decision uses equal protection to ensure that students can attend public school without being barred by their or their parents’ legal status, so long as they are residing in the country. In short, charging tuition or excluding undocumented ELL students from public schools would violate this ruling, because it treats them differently simply because of where they come from. The other cases are about different issues—student speech, racial segregation, and self-incrimination—and they don’t address access to public education or tuition for undocumented students.