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| 2 | 2 | | FIRST REGULAR SESSION |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE BILL NO. 572 |
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| 4 | 4 | | 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 5 | 5 | | INTRODUCED BY SENATOR COLEMAN. |
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| 6 | 6 | | 2098S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | To amend chapter 163, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to parental choice in |
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| 9 | 9 | | educational opportunities, with an emergency clause. |
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| 10 | 10 | | |
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| 11 | 11 | | Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Section A. Chapter 163, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1 |
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| 13 | 13 | | one new section, to be known as section 163.420, to read as 2 |
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| 14 | 14 | | follows:3 |
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| 15 | 15 | | 163.420. 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to 1 |
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| 16 | 16 | | the contrary, beginning with the 2025 -2026 school year, each 2 |
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| 17 | 17 | | parent or guardian o f a child between the ages of seven 3 |
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| 18 | 18 | | years and the compulsory attendance age for the district, as 4 |
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| 19 | 19 | | defined in section 167.031, in which the parent or guardian 5 |
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| 20 | 20 | | resides, shall be afforded the opportunity at the time of 6 |
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| 21 | 21 | | enrollment to direct that state aid u nder this chapter that 7 |
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| 22 | 22 | | would be used to educate the student at a school within the 8 |
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| 23 | 23 | | district of residence shall be remitted to a qualified 9 |
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| 24 | 24 | | school of the parent or guardian's choice, if the parent or 10 |
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| 25 | 25 | | guardian chooses a school outside of the district of 11 |
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| 26 | 26 | | residence. A parent or guardian may choose to enroll their 12 |
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| 27 | 27 | | student in a different school within the school district of 13 |
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| 28 | 28 | | residence. The state treasurer shall create and provide to 14 |
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| 29 | 29 | | each school district a form for use by a parent or guardian 15 |
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| 30 | 30 | | at the time of enrollment to indicate the parent or 16 |
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| 31 | 31 | | guardian's choice as to the qualified school their student 17 |
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| 32 | 32 | | will attend for that school year. 18 SB 572 2 |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2. The school district shall transmit any forms 19 |
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| 34 | 34 | | received, as provided in subsection 1 of this section, to 20 |
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| 35 | 35 | | the state treasurer. The school district shall also notify 21 |
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| 36 | 36 | | the department of elementary and secondary education within 22 |
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| 37 | 37 | | seven days of the parent submitting the form to the school. 23 |
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| 38 | 38 | | 3. Upon receipt of the form, the state treasurer shall 24 |
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| 39 | 39 | | remit, within thirty days, state aid under this chapter that 25 |
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| 40 | 40 | | would have been remitted to the school district of residence 26 |
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| 41 | 41 | | for the purpose of educating the student to the qualified 27 |
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| 42 | 42 | | school chosen by the parent or guardian if the parent or 28 |
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| 43 | 43 | | guardian chooses a school outside of the school district of 29 |
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| 44 | 44 | | residence. 30 |
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| 45 | 45 | | 4. The school district shall notify the department of 31 |
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| 46 | 46 | | elementary and secondary education, within seven days of the 32 |
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| 47 | 47 | | parent or guardian submitting the form, that the student 33 |
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| 48 | 48 | | shall no longer be attending a school within the district, 34 |
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| 49 | 49 | | if applicable. If the student enrolls in a qualified 35 |
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| 50 | 50 | | school, other than a public school located in the same 36 |
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| 51 | 51 | | school district of residence, the student shall not be 37 |
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| 52 | 52 | | counted in the resident school district's weighted average 38 |
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| 53 | 53 | | daily attendance as a resident student for purposes of 39 |
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| 54 | 54 | | determining state and federal aid for the student's resident 40 |
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| 55 | 55 | | school district. 41 |
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| 56 | 56 | | 5. As used in this section, the term "qualified 42 |
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| 57 | 57 | | school" shall include any of the following entities that is 43 |
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| 58 | 58 | | incorporated in Missouri and that does not discriminate on 44 |
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| 59 | 59 | | the basis of race, color, or national origin: 45 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (1) A charter school as defined in section 160.400; 46 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (2) A private school, which shall mean a school that 47 |
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| 62 | 62 | | is not part of the public school system of the state of 48 |
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| 63 | 63 | | Missouri and that charges tuition for the rendering of 49 |
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| 64 | 64 | | elementary and secondary educational services; 50 SB 572 3 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (3) A public school as defined in section 160.011; or 51 |
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| 66 | 66 | | (4) A public or private virtual school. 52 |
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| 67 | 67 | | 6. As used in this section, the term "state aid" shall 53 |
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| 68 | 68 | | mean the lesser of the state adequacy target for the student 54 |
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| 69 | 69 | | or the amount of tuition at the qualified school. 55 |
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| 70 | 70 | | Section B. Because of the need to provide parents with 1 |
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| 71 | 71 | | certainty regarding schooling and child care arrangements 2 |
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| 72 | 72 | | for the upcoming school year, section A of this act is 3 |
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| 73 | 73 | | deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of the 4 |
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| 74 | 74 | | public health, welfare, peace and safety, and is hereby 5 |
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| 75 | 75 | | declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the 6 |
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| 76 | 76 | | constitution, and section A of this act shall be in full 7 |
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| 77 | 77 | | force and effect upon its passage and approval. 8 |
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| 78 | 78 | | |
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