Member, Claire Parsons and Associate, Robin Neace, who practice in ASWD’s School Law and Local Government Practice groups, have collaborated on an article discussing sanctuary schools in the United States for the August, 2017 edition of Common Defense.  Common Defense is a state-wide publication of the Kentucky Defense Counsel, Inc., of which both Parsons and Neace are members.  The article titled “School Sanctuary: An Analysis of Federal Education Law and Immigrant Students” discusses the existing obligation that public schools have to provide a quality education to all students despite their immigration status.  While there has been much debate amongst state and local governmental officials relating to immigration, several federal statutes, including FERPA, Title IV of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, prohibit school districts from becoming embroiled in immigration matters. Parsons’ and Neace’s article explores each of these protections to remind school officials and school attorneys to carefully consider the existing law in making decisions that could affect immigrant students.