Earlier this year, Tennessee State Senator Bo Watson and House Majority Leader William Lamberth introduced a bill (SB836) to the state’s legislature that would give Tennessee public schools the right to refuse enrollment to undocumented children.
The bill would also allow schools to charge tuition to students without legal immigration status.
After facing heavy opposition, however, the bill was delayed to the end of the legislative session and is now dead — at least for the next year.
“We showed lawmakers that Tennessee won’t tolerate attacks on children — and they were forced to listen,” Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told Tennessee Lookout.
“But let’s be clear: The bill is dead for the 2025 session, but not forever … so yes — we’re celebrating this win. And we’re staying ready for what comes next.”
Organizations like Luna’s aren’t the only ones advocating for access to public education among migrant communities.
Two first-year teachers in Chattanooga, Tennessee — Grace Miller and Kate Livesay — said they couldn’t “sit and do nothing” when they heard about SB836.
So, with a shared love for biking, they decided to take action.
Together, they founded Pedals for Pencils. Their mission is to bike 300 miles — gaining 30,000 feet of elevation — across Vermont (Miller’s home state) while raising funds to buy essential supplies for their classrooms and advocate for migrant students.
The pair met just this year, as Livesay began her journey teaching middle school social studies, and Miller teaching high school geometry for English New Language Learners.
“[We] immediately found common ground in our students, our shared frustrations, and our stubborn hope that public education can still be a force for good,” they share on their website.
“Teaching has been everything we expected and nothing like we imagined. It’s exhausting and beautiful,” they add. “Chaotic and grounding. And no matter how prepared we thought we were, nothing quite readied us for the emotional weight of watching policy decisions made far above our heads affect the kids sitting right in front of us.”
Their goal is to raise $500 each to fund their next year of classroom essentials like notebooks, pencils, snacks, hygiene items, and more. (In the United States, educators spend an average of $500-$750 out of their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies every year.)
Anything else they fundraise will go “directly to organizations in Tennessee supporting immigrant families and fighting legislation like SB836.”
“We created Pedals for Pencils because legislation like SB836 can’t pass quietly,” they write. “If politicians learn they can exclude kids from public schools without public backlash, they’ll keep going — cutting funding, limiting access, and dismantling public education piece by piece. And they won’t stop.”
Miller and Livesay announced their initiative on TikTok just one day ago and have already garnered over $1,000 in donations, according to their website.
While their biking journey has not yet begun, the pair seems eager to grease up their wheels while speaking up about an issue that matters to them.
“It began as a wild idea between two exhausted teachers who also really like to bike. But it quickly became something more — a way to protest what’s happening in our state, raise awareness beyond our own classrooms, and raise money for the things our students need most,” they share on their website.
“One pedal at a time, we’re pushing back against silence, exclusion, and the steady dismantling of the public school system.”
In the meantime, Miller and Livesay are urging supporters to follow along on social media as they prepare for their ride — and to donate in support of public education.
“We believe public education is the foundation of this country,” Livesay said in the TikTok announcement. “Every teacher deserves to be well-equipped for their students, and every student deserves a seat in the classroom.”
Header image courtesy of Pedals for Pencils
