1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA |
| |
2| 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) |
| |
3|SENATE BILL 956 By: Jech |
| |
4| |
| |
5| |
| |
6| AS INTRODUCED |
| |
7| An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021, |
| Section 8-101.2, as amended by Section 1, Chapter |
8| 193, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022, Section |
| 8-101.2), which relates to the Education Open |
9| Transfer Act; modifying time by which school district |
| boards of education are to establish certain |
10| capacity; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-103, which |
| relates to transfer application process; modifying |
11| time by which certain superintendent is to file |
| certain statement; and declaring an emergency. |
12| |
| |
13| |
| |
14|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
| |
15| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-101.2, as |
| |
16|amended by Section 1, Chapter 193, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022, |
| |
17|Section 8-101.2), is amended to read as follows: |
| |
18| Section 8-101.2. A. Except as provided in subsection B of this |
| |
19|section, on and after January 1, 2022, the transfer of a student |
| |
20|from the district in which the student resides to another school |
| |
21|district furnishing instruction in the grade the student is entitled |
| |
22|to pursue shall be granted at any time in the year unless the number |
| |
23|of transfers exceeds the capacity of a grade level for each school |
| |
24|site within a school district. If the capacity of a grade level for |
| |
Req. No. 1204 Page 1
___________________________________________________________________________
1|each school site within a school district is insufficient to enroll |
| |
2|all eligible students, the school district shall select transfer |
| |
3|students in the order in which the district received the student |
| |
4|transfer applications. The capacity of a school district shall be |
| |
5|determined by the school district board of education based on its |
| |
6|policy adopted pursuant to subsection B of this section. A student |
| |
7|may be granted a one-year transfer and may automatically continue to |
| |
8|attend the school each school year to which the student transferred |
| |
9|with the approval of the receiving district. At the end of each |
| |
10|school year, a school district may deny continued transfer of the |
| |
11|student for the reasons outlined in paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsection |
| |
12|B of this section. Any brother or sister of a student who transfers |
| |
13|may attend the school district to which the student transferred, if |
| |
14|the school district policy gives preference to sibling transfers |
| |
15|regardless of capacity, and the brother or sister of the transferred |
| |
16|student does not meet a basis for denial as outlined in paragraphs 1 |
| |
17|and 2 of subsection B of this section. Any child in the custody of |
| |
18|the Department of Human Services in foster care who is living in the |
| |
19|home of a student who transfers may attend the school district to |
| |
20|which the student transferred. Except for a child in the custody of |
| |
21|the Department of Human Services in foster care, a transfer student |
| |
22|shall not transfer more than two (2) times per school year to one or |
| |
23|more school districts in which the student does not reside, provided |
| |
24|that the student may always reenroll at any time in his or her |
| |
Req. No. 1204 Page 2
___________________________________________________________________________
1|school district of residence. At the discretion of the receiving |
| |
2|district, a student who has attended a school district as a resident |
| |
3|student for at least three (3) years prior to becoming eligible to |
| |
4|apply as a transfer student may be allowed to transfer to the school |
| |
5|district regardless of capacity. |
| |
6| If the grade a student is entitled to pursue is not offered in |
| |
7|the district where the student resides, the transfer shall be |
| |
8|automatically approved. |
| |
9| B. Each school district board of education shall adopt a policy |
| |
10|to determine the number of transfer students the school district has |
| |
11|the capacity to accept in each grade level for each school site |
| |
12|within a school district no later than January 1, 2022. The policy |
| |
13|may include: |
| |
14| 1. The acts and reasons outlined in Section 24-101.3 of this |
| |
15|title as a basis for denial of a transfer; and |
| |
16| 2. A history of absences as a basis for denial of a transfer. |
| |
17|For the purposes of this section, "history of absences" means ten or |
| |
18|more absences in one semester that are not excused for the reasons |
| |
19|provided for in subsection B of Section 10-105 of this title or due |
| |
20|to illness. |
| |
21| The policy shall be publicly posted on the school district |
| |
22|website. |
| |
23| C. By the first day of January, April, July and October |
| |
24|Beginning July 1, 2023, and by July 1 each subsequent year, the |
| |
Req. No. 1204 Page 3
___________________________________________________________________________
1|school district board of education shall establish the number of |
| |
2|transfer students the school district has the capacity to accept in |
| |
3|each grade level for each school site within a school district and |
| |
4|shall update the number as necessary throughout the school year. |
| |
5| D. After establishing the number of transfer students the |
| |
6|school district has the capacity to accept in each grade level for |
| |
7|each school site within a school district, the board of education |
| |
8|shall: |
| |
9| 1. Publish in a prominent place on the school district website |
| |
10|the number of transfer students for each grade level for each school |
| |
11|site within a school district which the school district has the |
| |
12|capacity to accept; and |
| |
13| 2. Report to the State Department of Education the number of |
| |
14|transfer students for each grade level for each school site within a |
| |
15|school district which the school district has the capacity to |
| |
16|accept. |
| |
17| E. If a transfer request is denied by the school district, the |
| |
18|parent of the student may appeal the denial within ten (10) days of |
| |
19|notification of the denial to the receiving school district board of |
| |
20|education. The receiving school district board of education shall |
| |
21|consider the appeal at its next regularly scheduled board meeting. |
| |
22|If the receiving school district board of education denies the |
| |
23|appeal, the parent of the student may appeal the denial within ten |
| |
24|(10) days of notification of the appeal denial to the State Board of |
| |
Req. No. 1204 Page 4
___________________________________________________________________________
1|Education. The parent shall submit to the State Board of Education |
| |
2|and the superintendent of the receiving school a notice of appeal on |
| |
3|a form prescribed by the State Board of Education. The appeal shall |
| |
4|be considered by the State Board of Education at its next regularly |
| |
5|scheduled meeting, where the parent and a representative from the |
| |
6|receiving school district may address the Board. The State Board of |
| |
7|Education shall promulgate rules to establish the appeals process |
| |
8|authorized by this subsection. |
| |
9| F. Each school district board of education shall submit to the |
| |
10|State Department of Education the number of student transfers |
| |
11|approved and denied and whether each denial was based on capacity, |
| |
12|acts and reasons outlined in Section 24-101.3 of this title or a |
| |
13|history of absences as provided for in paragraph 2 of subsection B |
| |
14|of this section. The State Department of Education shall publish |
| |
15|the data on its website and make the data available to the Office of |
| |
16|Educational Quality and Accountability. |
| |
17| G. Each year, the Office of Educational Quality and |
| |
18|Accountability shall randomly select ten percent (10%) of the school |
| |
19|districts in the state and conduct an audit of each district's |
| |
20|approved and denied transfers based on the provisions of the |
| |
21|policies adopted by the respective school district board of |
| |
22|education. If the Office finds inaccurate reporting of capacity |
| |
23|levels by a school district, the Office shall set the capacity for |
| |
24|the school district. |
| |
Req. No. 1204 Page 5
___________________________________________________________________________
1| SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-103, is |
| |
2|amended to read as follows: |
| |
3| Section 8-103. A. In order that any student may be |
| |
4|transferred, an application form specified by the State Board of |
| |
5|Education must be completed by the parents of the student. For |
| |
6|purposes of the Education Open Transfer Act, the term "parent" means |
| |
7|the parent of the student or person having custody of the student as |
| |
8|provided for in paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section 1-113 of this |
| |
9|title. The application shall be filed with the superintendent of |
| |
10|the receiving school district for transfers to school districts in |
| |
11|this state and with the State Board of Education for transfers to |
| |
12|school districts in another state. |
| |
13| B. On or before the first day of January, April, July and |
| |
14|October Beginning July 1, 2023, and by July 1 each subsequent year, |
| |
15|it shall be the duty of the superintendent of the receiving school |
| |
16|district to file with the State Board of Education and each resident |
| |
17|district a statement showing the names of the students granted |
| |
18|transfers to the school district, the resident school district of |
| |
19|the transferred students, and their respective grade level. The |
| |
20|statement shall be updated as necessary throughout the school year. |
| |
21| C. For students who are deaf or hearing-impaired who wish to |
| |
22|transfer to a school district with a specialized deaf education |
| |
23|program, applications may be filed at any time during the school |
| |
24| |
| |
Req. No. 1204 Page 6
___________________________________________________________________________
1|year. The student may transfer to the receiving school district at |
| |
2|any time during the school year. |
| |
3| D. The school district shall enroll transfer students in the |
| |
4|order in which they submit their applications. If the number of |
| |
5|student transfer applications exceeds the capacity of a receiving |
| |
6|school district, as determined by subsection A of Section 8-101.2 of |
| |
7|this title, the district shall select transfer students in the order |
| |
8|in which the district received the student transfer applications. |
| |
9| E. If a transfer application is denied based on the receiving |
| |
10|school district's open transfer policy adopted pursuant to |
| |
11|subsection B of Section 8-101.2 of this title, the parent of the |
| |
12|student may appeal the decision as provided for in subsection E of |
| |
13|Section 8-101.2 of this title. |
| |
14| SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation |
| |
15|of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby |
| |
16|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and |
| |
17|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. |
| |
18| |
| |
19| 59-1-1204 EB 1/19/2023 12:46:17 PM |
| |
20| |
| |
21| |
| |
22| |
| |
23| |
| |
24| |
| |
Req. No. 1204 Page 7