Alabama school won’t let Latino teen enroll, rights group says

*The interesting thing about this case is that the student in question is a minor, so most of his/her information is not available to the public. What is left is a he-said, she-said scenario where each side claims to have the law and the truth on their side. It’s also interesting to note that the state of Alabama recently tried to pass stringent anti-immigrant legislation. Parts of that law were blocked in a court settlement. VL

By Nick Valencia, CNN

(CNN) — An Alabama public high school declined to enroll a 17-year-old Latino student twice “simply because he was born in Mexico,” the Southern Poverty Law Center said Tuesday.

The teen, identified only as “J.T.” by the SPLC, endured discrimination when he attempted to enroll at Fort Payne High School in January after moving to Alabama from Colorado, the civil rights group said. J.T. immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 1, according to SPLC staff attorney Caren Short.

The student’s family met with the district superintendent and “brought a completed enrollment application, proof of residency in the school district, an immunization record and a Social Security card,” but J.T. was still denied enrollment, the SPLC said.

Click HERE to read the full story.