Equitable Access and Rights of Students to Enroll Federal law stipulates that all children in the United States are entitled equitable  access to a public elementary and secondary education regardless of their actual or  perceived race, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or the status of  their parents/guardians. Schools must ensure that students are not barred from  enrolling in public schools at the elementary and secondary level based on  their own citizenship or immigration status, or that of their parents or guardians.  This includes providing students with limited or interrupted formal education access  to instruction that is age and grade-appropriate. Inquiring about a student's immigration or citizenship status is unnecessary  to providing students with public education and may have a chilling or  discouraging effect on student enrollment. The Department holds that traditional  public and community schools may not inquire and require information  on the immigration or citizenship status of a student or parent. Parents and guardians  must be informed, in language that is understandable, that providing such information  is optional and does not change the right to enroll in school. This applies  to registration processes that families complete online and  to processes that occur in person. Resources from the U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet: Information on the Rights of All Children to Enroll in School Los Derechos de Todos los Niños a Matricularse en la Escuela (Spanish)