Washington Examiner
· collected 2026-09-16 · by Rep. Jake LaTurner
Strong communities are built on structure, responsibility, and opportunity — values Americans have long championed.
asserted
Americans → build → structure
One of the most effective ways to uphold those principles is simple: Keep kids in school.
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One → uphold → school
I have spent my career advocating for strong borders, the rule of law, and accountability in our immigration system.
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I → spend → system
As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I held the Biden administration accountable for failures at the southern border.
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administration → hold → border
So, when I say denying children access to K-12 education goes too far, it is not because my views have changed.
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views → say → education
It is because doing so creates larger problems for our communities.
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doing → do → communities
For more than 40 years, federal law has recognized that educating children is not only a moral imperative, but a practical one.
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educating → recognize → children
In Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court affirmed that access to public education helps prevent long-term social and economic harm.
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access → affirm → harm
That reasoning remains sound today.
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reasoning → remain → ?
But unfortunately, this foundational principle established in Plyler v. Doe faces unprecedented threats.
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principle → establish → threats
Across the country, we are witnessing an increasingly coordinated effort to restrict or deny educational access to children based on their immigration status.
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we → witness → status
In the face of this, it is critical that we stand firm in our commitment to the principles that have protected our children and strengthened our communities for decades.
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that → stand → decades
Beyond family and faith, schools provide structure in a young person’s life.
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schools → provide → life
Students who remain engaged in school are far more likely to experience positive long-term outcomes.
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who → remain → outcomes
Schools create daily accountability through attendance and supervision, and teachers, counselors, and administrators often serve as early warning systems, identifying challenges before they become crises.
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they → create → challenges
Too often, federal and state leaders are forced to respond only after problems escalate.
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problems → force → ?
Schools are among the few places where intervention can occur early, before issues require far greater government involvement.
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issues → occur → involvement
When kids are in school, they are guided, encouraged, and supported by trusted adults who can step in when something goes wrong.
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something → guide → adults
When children are denied access to school, that structure disappears, and communities feel the consequences.
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communities → deny → consequences
Ezekiel 18:20 reminds us that “the son shall not be charged with the guilt of his father.”
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son → remind → father
It is fundamentally unjust for children to bear responsibility for circumstances beyond their control.
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children → bear → control
Research consistently shows that chronic school absence is linked to higher rates of future involvement with the criminal justice system.
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absence → show → system
Unsupervised youth place greater strain on law enforcement, courts, and emergency services.
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youth → place → enforcement
Keeping young people on track is safer, more effective, and far less expensive than addressing the consequences later.
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Keeping → keep → consequences
Taxpayers pay either way.
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Taxpayers → pay → ?
Education costs less than incarceration and court involvement.
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Education → cost → incarceration
The United States already spends hundreds of billions annually on policing and incarceration, with total social costs far higher.
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costs → spend → policing
Cutting off access to education does not save money.
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Cutting → cut → money
It increases long-term costs.
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It → increase → costs
Government works best when it focuses on its core responsibilities.
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it → work → responsibilities
Schools exist to educate America’s children, not to compensate for failures in federal immigration policy.
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Schools → exist → policy
That responsibility belongs to Congress.
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responsibility → belong → Congress
President Donald Trump has made important progress in securing the southern border, and Congress should continue supporting those efforts.
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Congress → make → efforts
Schools, meanwhile, should remain focused on education.
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Schools → remain → education
Public opinion reinforces what common sense tells us.
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sense → reinforce → us
Recent national polling of Republican and Republican-leaning independent voters found that 87% agree that every child living in the U.S., regardless of their background, deserves access to a basic education.
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child → lean → education
Nearly two-thirds also agree that children should not be punished for decisions made by their parents.
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children → agree → parents
These findings make clear that keeping kids in school is not a partisan issue.
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is → make → school
It reflects a basic principle shared by conservatives across the country: Children should have the opportunity to learn, and our communities are stronger when they do.
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they → reflect → opportunity
This is why leaders from business, education, and public safety have come together as part of a new group committed to protecting access to K-12 education and reinforcing schools’ role in strong communities.
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leaders → come → communities
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
