Bill > HB741

This bill allows parents to send their children to any public school district within the state, effectively making all public schools "open enrollment" schools, meaning they can accept students from outside their immediate attendance area or district. It modifies existing laws to remove the requirement that a child attend the public school assigned in their resident district and broadens the definition of "legal resident" to simply mean a resident of the state for the purpose of school attendance. The bill also clarifies that residency disputes for school enrollment will only consider if the child is a resident of the state, and it outlines specific, limited reasons why a school district can deny a transfer application, such as a history of expulsion or significant disciplinary issues, though military-connected students are exempt from capacity limits. Furthermore, the bill establishes that the resident school district will pay at least 80% of its average cost per pupil to the receiving district for transferring students, and it clarifies that the resident district remains responsible for funding and services for children with disabilities. The bill also mandates that school districts must post their capacity for each school and grade level online and report transfer data annually to the state, which will then be published.

Education

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=791&inflect=2