U.S. citizens denied right to in-state tuition (FL- Again)

[Scurrilous]

A lawsuit is challenging Florida’s policy of charging out-of-state tuition to U.S. citizens whose parents are undocumented immigrants.

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"Attorneys filed a federal suit arguing that scores of American students — who were born in the United States as children of undocumented immigrants — are being wrongly denied the right to pay in-state tuition at Florida’s colleges and universities.

The lawsuit, filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, states that the policy is not something that was ever outlined in Florida law, but was instead adopted administratively by the Florida Department of Education and the Board of Governors that supervises state universities. The lawsuit blasts the policy as a clear violation of the equal-protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

"Being classified as a non-resident more than triples the cost of tuition," the lawsuit states. "As a result, many talented American students must either forego higher education or incur extraordinary costs."

A state Education Department spokesperson said the agency had not yet been served with the lawsuit, and could not comment on pending litigation. A Board of Governors spokesperson said the board, too, had not received a copy of the suit. Neither spokesperson responded to a request for a general explanation as to why the current policy exists."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/19/2462421/us-citizens-denied-right-to-in.html#ixzz1bHtFNpmV