HB3038 HFLR Page 1 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION STATE OF OKLAHOMA 2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022) COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 3038 By: Boles and Ranson of the House and Pemberton of the Senate COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Sections 8-101.2 and 8-113, which relate to student transfers; authorizing automatic transfers for certain students; permitting school district to give preference for sibling transfers; allowing certain student to transfer regardless of capacity; directing certain school district to grant preference for children of employees; and de claring an emergency. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLA HOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-101.2, is amended to read as follows: Section 8-101.2 A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, on and after January 1, 2022, the transfer of a student from the district in which the student resides to another school district furnishing instruction in the grade the student is entitled HB3038 HFLR Page 2 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 to pursue shall be granted at any time in the year unless the numbe r of transfers exceeds the capacity of a grade level for each school site within a school district. If the capacity of a grade level for each school site within a school district is insufficient to enrol l all eligible students, the school district shall s elect transfer students in the order in which the district received the student transfer applications . The capacity of a schoo l district shall be determined by the school district board of education base d on its policy adopted pursuant to subsection B of this section. A student may be granted a one -year transfer and may automatically continue to attend the school each school yea r to which the student transferred with the approval of the receiving district. At th e end of each school year, a school distric t may deny continued transfer of the student for the reasons outlined in paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsec tion B of this section. A ny brother or sister of a student who transfers may attend the school district to whic h the student transferred as long as the school district has capacity, if the school district policy gives preference to sibling transfers regar dless of capacity, and the brother or sister of the transferred student does not meet a basis for denial as outl ined in paragraphs 1 an d 2 of subsection B of this section. Any child in the custody of the Depar tment of Human Services in foster care who is living in the home of a st udent who transfers may attend the school district to which the student transferred. Except for a child in t he custody of the De partment of HB3038 HFLR Page 3 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Human Services in foster care, a transfer s tudent shall not transfer more than two (2) ti mes per school year to one or more school districts in which the student does not reside, provided that the student may always reenroll at any time in his or her school district of residence. At the discretion of the receiving dis trict, a student who has attend ed a school district as a resident student for at least three (3) years prior to becoming eligible to appl y as a transfer student may be allowed to transfer to the sch ool district regardless of capacity. If the grade a student is entitled to pursue is not offered in the district where the student resides, the transfer shall be automatically approved. B. Each school district board of education shall adopt a policy to determine the number of transfer students the school dist rict has the capacity to accept in each grade level for each school site within a school district no later than January 1, 2022. The policy may include: 1. The acts and reasons ou tlined in Section 24 -101.3 of this title as a basis for denial of a transfe r; and 2. A history of absences as a basis fo r denial of a transfer. For the purposes of this section, "history of absences" means ten or more absences in one semester that are no t excused for the re asons provided for in subsection B of Section 10 -105 of this title or due to illness. HB3038 HFLR Page 4 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 The policy shall be publicly posted on the school district website. C. By the first day of January, April, J uly and October, the school district boar d of education shall establish the number of transfer students the school d istrict has the capacity to accept in each grade level for each school site within a school district. D. After establishing the number of t ransfer students the school district has the capacity to acce pt in each grade level for each school site within a sc hool district, the board of education shall: 1. Publish in a prominent place on the school district website the number of transfer students for each grade level for each school site within a school di strict which the school district has the capacity to accept; and 2. Report to the State Department o f Education the number of transfer students for each grade level for each school site within a school district which the school distric t has the capacity t o accept. E. If a transfer request is denied by the sc hool district, the parent of the student may a ppeal the denial within ten (10) days of notification of the denial to the receiving school di strict board of education. The receiving school district board of education shall consider the appeal at its next r egularly scheduled board meeting. If the receiving school district board of education denies the HB3038 HFLR Page 5 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 appeal, the parent of the student may appe al the denial within ten (10) days of notification of the app eal denial to the State Board of Education. The parent shall submit to the State Board of Education and the superintendent of the receiving school a notice of appeal on a form prescribed by the State Board of Education. The appeal sha ll be considered by the State Board of Education at its next regularly scheduled meeting, where the parent and a represen tative from the receiving school district may address the Board. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to establish the appeals process authorized by this subsection. F. Each school district boa rd of education shall submit to the State Department of Education the number of student transfers approved and denied and whether each denia l was based on capacity, acts and reasons outlined in Section 24-101.3 of this title or a history of absences as pro vided for in paragraph 2 of subsection B of this section. The State Department of Education shall publish the data on its website and make the data available to the Office of Educational Quality and A ccountability. G. Each year, the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability shall randomly sel ect ten percent (10%) of the school districts in the state and conduct an audit of each distri ct's approved and denied transfers based on the provisions of the policies adopted by the respective school district board of education. If the Office finds inac curate reporting of capacity HB3038 HFLR Page 6 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 levels by a school district, the Office shall set the capacity fo r the school district. SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8 -113, is amended to read as follows: Section 8-113. A student shall be allowed to transfer to a school district in which the parent or legal guardian of the stud ent is employed as a teacher, as defined in Section 1 -116 of this title by the district, if the school district policy on student transfers grants preference for children of employees, regardless of school district capacity. SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby declared to exist, by reason whereof this act s hall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage an d approval. COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON COMMON EDUCATION, dated 02/16/2022 - DO PASS, As Amended and Coauthored.