SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3038 SFLR 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 SENATE FLOOR VERSION April 5, 2022 ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL NO. 3038 By: Boles, Ranson, Sterling, and Stark of the House and Pemberton and Dossett (J.J.) of the Senate 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 e ntitled to pursue shall be granted at any time in the year unless the n umber 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 SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3038 SFLR 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 each school site within a school district i s insufficient to enroll all eligible students, the school district sha ll select 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 based 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 the end of each school year, a school dis trict 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 which 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 outlined 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 Department of 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 no t reside, provided that the SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3038 SFLR 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 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 pr ior to becoming eligible to apply 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 shal l 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 t han January 1, 2022. The policy may include: 1. The acts and reasons outlined 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 not excused for the re asons provided for in subsection B of Section 10 -105 of this title or due to illness. The policy shall be publicly posted on the school district website. SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3038 SFLR 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 C. By the first day of January, April, July and October, the school district board 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 transfer 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 lev el for each school site within a school district which the school distr ict 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 d enial to the receiving school district board of education. The receivi ng 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 appeal, the parent of the student may appeal the denial within ten (10) days of notification of the app eal denial to the State Board of SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3038 SFLR 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 Education. The parent shall submit to the State Board of Education and the superintendent of the receiving school a notice of app eal on a form prescribed by the State Board of Education. The appeal s hall 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 Boar d. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to establish th e 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 denial 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 district's approved and denied transfers base d on the provisions of the policies adopted by the respective school district board of education. If the Office finds inac curate reporting of capacity levels by a school district, the Office shall set the capacity for the school district. SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB3038 SFLR 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 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 pare nt or legal guardian of the student is employed as a teacher, as define d 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 pre servation 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 a nd approval. COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION April 5, 2022 - DO PASS