Plyler v. Doe (1982) dealt with education for undocumented students. What did the Court decide?

• A. The Court did not address education.
• B. Citizens only.
• C. Illegal aliens and their children.
• D. All non-citizens regardless of status.

Answer: (C)

The key idea being tested is that equal protection requires treating children equally when it comes to access to public education, regardless of their or their parents’ immigration status. In Plyler v. Doe, the Court struck down a state law that tried to exclude undocumented children from a free public education. The Court held that denying these children access to K–12 schooling violates the Fourteenth Amendment because children should not be penalized for actions they did not commit, and keeping them out of school would harm their development and the country’s future. The decision reinforces that public education must be available to all children within the state, including those who are undocumented. The other options don’t fit because the ruling addressed education for undocumented children, not for citizens only or for all non-citizens regardless of status, and the Court did address education in this case.