澳门跑狗论坛

Law & Courts

Case Touched Many Parts of Community

In a close-knit Texas city, many of those involved remain, assess impact
By Mary Ann Zehr 鈥 June 04, 2007 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

James Plyler, the former superintendent of the Tyler school district, hasn鈥檛 talked much over the years about the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case on immigrants rights that bears his name.

But the 82-year-old retired school administrator鈥攚hose 1977 move to charge the families of undocumented children here $1,000 per student to attend public schools sparked a federal lawsuit鈥攈as more than made his peace with the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 ruling against him and the school system in Plyler v. Doe.

An Interview with James Plyler

鈥淚鈥檓 glad we lost the Hispanic [court case], so that those kids could get educated.鈥 James Plyler, former superintendent of the Tyler public schools, talks with Mary Ann Zehr about his role in the case.


鈥淚鈥檓 glad we lost the Hispanic [court case], so that those kids could get educated,鈥 he said in an interview last month.

A quarter-century after the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision, interviews with both sides in the case illustrate the complex, often personal nature of the immigration debate in this tight-knit East Texas community.

Mr. Plyler, who was sued in federal court along with the Tyler school board by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, now has Hispanic members in his own family. His son married a woman of Mexican descent from Austin, Texas, and Mr. Plyler, who is known throughout Tyler as Jim, proudly displays photos at home of his grandchildren with Hispanic heritage.

See Also

Return to the main story, Amid Immigration Debate, Settled Ground

Of the four plaintiff families, at least three still live in Tyler. The children originally involved in the case are now in their 30s. Several of those interviewed are either legal residents or U.S. citizens. Some say they didn鈥檛 realize until more than a decade after the case what it meant that their parents had taken them before dawn one day to a hearing at the federal courthouse in Tyler.

"I'm glad we lost the Hispanic [court case]. 50 that those kids could get educated." - James Plyler, former superintendent of the Tyler public schools

(The judge scheduled the hearing early in the morning to help protect them from being recognized and deported, according to John C. Hardy, the lawyer who represented the school district. They also went by pseudonyms in the case.)

Alfredo Lopez and his sister, Faviola Tizcare帽o, both children at the time of the case, say their memories were first jogged when reporters tracked them down in 1994 to discuss a ballot measure passed in California that sought to deny a free education to undocumented immigrants.

An Interview with John C. Hardy

BRIC ARCHIVE

Listen to an interview with lawyer John C. Hardy.

鈥淎round here, nobody knows anything about [Plyler v. Doe],鈥 said Mr. Lopez. He noted that his parents, plaintiffs Lidia and Jose M. Lopez, never brought it up.

Laura Alvarez Reyna, one of the Mexican-born children of Jacqueline and Humberto Alvarez who were plaintiffs, said her parents were reluctant to discuss the case.

鈥淭hose were adult issues, and kids were not involved in adult issues,鈥 said Ms. Reyna.

Recollections

People involved in the case have varied memories of the events surrounding the case.

Mr. Plyler said he initially advocated the $1,000 annual charge for each undocumented child because Texas had passed a law in 1975 requiring school districts to charge tuition for such students or lose state funds. For two school years after passage of the law, he said, the district didn鈥檛 enforce it. But because more Hispanic families were moving to Tyler, he said, the district 鈥渄idn鈥檛 have a choice鈥 during the 1977-78 school year.

After the lawsuit was filed, U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice ordered the Tyler Independent School District to continue teaching undocumented children while the case was being decided. Mr. Plyler doesn鈥檛 recall that children were turned away from school.

But Alfredo Lopez remembers that he and his siblings were put out of school for a few days when he was 8 years old.

Michael McAndrew, who then worked with Hispanic families at a local Roman Catholic church, said Hispanic children were turned away at the start of the 1977-78 school year for a short time. Mr. McAndrew, 66, contends that Tyler principals didn鈥檛 know who was undocumented and sent children home based on how they were dressed.

鈥淚f you looked poor, you must be undocumented. If you were neat and clean, you weren鈥檛. I thought it was discrimination against poverty,鈥 he said.

All of the plaintiffs interviewed said they are grateful for having received a high school education in Tyler.

Ms. Tizcare帽o, 37, a homemaker who previously worked in customer service, said her education 鈥済ave me my basic skills.鈥

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 go to a college, but for a while I was working for a job for $10 per hour,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have had that without typing skills and the English language.鈥

A version of this article appeared in the June 06, 2007 edition of 澳门跑狗论坛 as Case Touched Many Parts of Community

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum Big AI Questions for Schools. How They Should Respond鈥
Join this free virtual event to unpack some of the big questions around the use of AI in K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM鈥檚 Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Law & Courts Supreme Court Won't Take Up Case on District's Gender Transition Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court declined an appeal from a parents' group contending that a district's policy on gender support plans excludes them.
4 min read
The Supreme Court is pictured, June 30, 2024, in Washington.
The Supreme Court is pictured, June 30, 2024, in Washington. The court on Monday declined to hear a case about a school district鈥檚 policy to support students undergoing gender transitions.
Susan Walsh/AP
Law & Courts High Court Won't Review School Admissions Policy That Sought to Boost Diversity
The U.S. Supreme Court refused a case about whether race was unconstitutionally considered in admissions to Boston's selective schools.
5 min read
The Supreme Court is pictured, Oct. 7, 2024, in Washington.
The Supreme Court is pictured, Oct. 7, 2024, in Washington. The court on Monday declined to take up a case about the Boston district鈥檚 facially race-neutral admissions policy for selective magnet high schools.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Case on Medical Care for Trans Youth Could Impact School Sports
The justices weigh a Tennessee law that bars certain medical treatments for transgender minors, with school issues bubbling around the case.
8 min read
Transgenders rights supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington.
Transgender rights supporters rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4 as the court weighed a Tennessee law that restricts certain medical treatments for transgender minors.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts How a Supreme Court Case on Vaping Stands to Impact Schools
The U.S. Supreme Court heard an important case about federal regulation of flavored e-cigarettes, which remain a concern for schools.
6 min read
A high school principal displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students in such places as restrooms or hallways at a school in Massachusetts on April 10, 2018.
A high school principal in Massachusetts displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students in restrooms or hallways on April 10, 2018.
Steven Senne/AP