Reimagining School Leaders for a Post-Plyler World: Refuge and Resources for Undocumented Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Policy in Human Hands: Agency, Leadership, and the People Who Make Policy Work

Abstract

This paper examines the role of school leaders amidst the ongoing threats to Plyler v. Doe, the landmark U. S. Supreme Court ruling which extends equal protection to undocumented children in K-12 schools. Given the recent executive orders by the second Trump administration (Parsons, 2025), coupled with the growing presence of ICE raids across the country and mass deportation efforts, some state legislatures have been emboldened to challenge and/or bypass Plyler protections altogether (Mattise, 2025). Given the political context, it is rational to assume that Plyler could be challenged in the Supreme Court. Drawing on immigration law, critical legal theory, and theories of justice, this paper reimagines the role of schools and school leaders should Plyler be challenged and overturned

Authors

• Liliana E. Castrellon, San José State University

• Marina López, University of California - Los Angeles

• Alonso R. Reyna Rivarola, Salt Lake Community College

• Érica Fernández, Miami University (OH)

• Gerardo R. López, Michigan State University