State Rep. Allan Rothlisberg, R-Grandview Plaza recently filed a bill requiring the state to count and report how many undocumented children are in Kansas public schools reported the Lawrence Journal-World.
Rothlisberg said House Bill 2521 is aimed at raising awareness about the amount of tax payer money spent on educating children who are here illegally.
“I would prefer we spend tax dollars on citizens and not on illegal aliens,” he said.
The bill requires school boards to request “presentation of proof of lawful presence” when a child enrolls for the first time in public schools. Proof could be a birth certificate, Social Security care, or other document.
The State Department of Education would then publish on its website the number of children who failed to provide the proof, and the average per pupil school finance cost.
Rothlisberg said the bill wouldn’t deny enrollment to children without proof, and the information would be published in a way that doesn’t identify a specific child.
Sunflower Community Action works on immigration and education issues, criticized the bill. Sulma Arias is the executive director. She says, “This is no more than another attempt at intimidation and harassment.”