FINAL BILL REPORT

ESSB 5142

PARTIAL VETO

C 36 L 03

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Permitting the children of certificated and classified school employees to enroll at the school where the employee is assigned.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Carlson, Eide, Schmidt, Johnson, B. Sheldon, Shin, Kohl-Welles, Rasmussen and Esser).

Senate Committee on Education

House Committee on Education

Background: Under current law, a student must generally attend the school designated for the geographic attendance area in the school district in which he or she lives. This is called the student's resident district. For parents wanting to enroll their child in a different school, there are two different transfers potentially available: (1) intradistrict transfer, from one school to another school in the same district, or (2) interdistrict transfer, from a school in one district to a school in a different district.

Washington law allows school districts to adopt their own policies governing intradistrict transfers. Interdistrict transfers are governed, in part, by statute. A parent wishing to transfer his or her child to a school in another district must get both a release from the resident district school and an acceptance from the nonresident district. The reasons for release are set out in statute. Schools accepting interdistrict transfers must establish a policy with fair, rational and equitable standards for acceptance or rejection. Possible reasons for rejection are set out in statute. Written notification of approval or rejection of the transfer request is required and parents may appeal the decisions. School districts are strongly encouraged to honor a parental request for a transfer. No school district or school is required to accept a student requesting a transfer if the district or school does not have space, unless the transfer request is under the choice provisions of the newly enacted federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Summary: School districts must allow children of full-time certificated and classified employees to enroll (1) at a school where the employee is assigned, or (2) at a school in the district's K-12 continuum that includes the school to which the employee is assigned. This requirement does not apply to students who reside out of state.

For interdistrict transfers, the nonresident school district may reject a transfer request if the nonresident student (1) has a history of convictions, violent or disruptive behavior, or gang membership, (2) the student has been expelled or suspended from school for more than ten consecutive days, or (3) enrollment of a child under this section would displace a child who is a resident of the district, except that if a child is admitted under this section, that child must be permitted to remain enrolled until he or she completes his or her schooling.

There is a reporting requirement regarding the number of students who apply for enrollment under this act and the total number of students applying for any transfer type who are denied enrollment.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate       41  8

House       94  2

Effective: July 27, 2003

Partial Veto Summary: The reporting requirement was vetoed.