H-3269.1  _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 2520

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Horn, Chandler, Stevens, Sheahan, Padden, Brough, Talcott, Mielke, Tate, Wood and Reams

 

Read first time 01/17/94.  Referred to Committee on Education.

 

Authorizing students to transfer from a school that has had five or more violent crimes within the prior twelve months.


    AN ACT Relating to educational choice; amending RCW 28A.225.220 and 28A.225.270; and creating a new section.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that education cannot occur in schools plagued by violence.  Students who do not feel safe and secure in their classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds cannot be expected to learn.  Should violence occur in a student's school, the student must be allowed to transfer to another school in which he or she feels safe and secure.

 

    Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.225.220 and 1993 c 336 s 1008 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Any board of directors may make agreements with adults choosing to attend school:  PROVIDED, That unless such arrangements are approved by the state superinten­dent of public instruction, a reasonable tuition charge, fixed by the state superintendent of public instruction, shall be paid by such students as best may be accommo­dated therein.

    (2) A district is strongly encouraged to honor the request of a parent or guardian for his or her child to attend a school in another district.

    (3) A district shall release a student to a nonresi­dent district that agrees to accept the student if:

    (a) A financial, educational, safety, or health condition affecting the student would likely be reason­ably improved as a result of the transfer; or

    (b) Attendance at the school in the nonresident district is more accessible to the parent's place of work or to the location of child care; or

    (c) There is a special hardship or detrimental condition; or

    (d) The school in which the student attends has had five or more violent crimes, as defined in RCW 9.94A.030, committed on school grounds during school hours in the prior twelve months.

    (4) A district may deny the request of a resident student to transfer to a nonresident district if the release of the student would adversely affect the district's existing desegregation plan.

    (5) For the purpose of helping a district assess the quality of its education program, a resident school district may request an optional exit interview or questionnaire with the parents or guardians of a child transferring to another district.  No parent or guardian may be forced to attend such an interview or complete the questionnaire.

    (6) Beginning with the 1993-94 school year, school districts may not charge transfer fees or tuition for nonresident students enrolled under subsection (3) of this section and RCW 28A.225.225.   Reim­bursement of a high school district for cost of educat­ing high school pupils of a nonhigh school district shall not be deemed a transfer fee as affecting the apportionment of current state school funds.

 

    Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.225.270 and 1990 1st ex.s. c 9 s 205 are each amended to read as follows:

    Each school district in the state shall ((adopt and implement)) have a policy allowing intradistrict enrollment options ((no later than June 30, 1990)).  Each district shall establish its own policy establishing standards on how the intradistrict enrollment options will be implemented.  However, effective September 1, 1994, the district's policy shall allow a student to transfer to another school if the school in which the student attends has had five or more violent crimes, as defined in RCW 9.94A.030, committed on school grounds during school hours in the prior twelve months.

 

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