Bill > HB1757

This bill establishes a public school open enrollment program to enable students to attend a school in a nonresident district, subject to certain limitations. The key provisions include: - Allowing students to transfer to a nonresident district as long as the transfer would not exceed 3% of the previous year's enrollment for the nonresident district (with exceptions for districts with high minority or free/reduced lunch enrollment percentages). - Requiring school districts to adopt a model policy developed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to determine the number of available transfers and set standards for accepting or rejecting transfer applications. - Providing transportation assistance, including reimbursements, for low-income students and students with individualized education programs who transfer to a nonresident district. - Establishing a "Parent Public School Choice Fund" to provide reimbursements to school districts that participate in the open enrollment program. - Allowing students to complete their education in the nonresident district without reapplying each year, and giving siblings priority for transfers. - Providing a process for students to appeal a rejection of their transfer application to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The bill is designed to improve educational quality and opportunities by allowing greater parental choice, while also including provisions to help maintain racial and socioeconomic balance among schools.