Gov. Kelly signed Kansas’ school choice bill. Here’s what that means for your student
Starting in June 2024, Kansas students will be allowed to go to any public school district in the state, as long as the school has space.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2567 on Monday afternoon. The bill included full funding for Kansas’ K-12 schools as well as policy provisions less popular among Democrats and public school advocates, like the open enrollment policy.
“Before taking effect during the 2024-2025 school year, the Legislature must work with educators and administrators to make the necessary modifications to ensure that elected school board members maintain local control,” Kelly said in a statement on Monday.
Under current law, Kansas public school districts can set their own policy on whether or not to accept out-of-district students. Under HB2357, school districts throughout the state will be required to develop plans and guidelines laying out how many total students the district can handle, and how many nonresident students they can accept into each grade.
Once districts know what their capacity is, families across the state can begin transferring their students to the school of their choice. The open enrollment process will start during the 2024-2025 school year and will apply to all public schools in Kansas. Until then, students will need to continue to enroll in a school in the district they live in unless they’ve been voluntarily accepted by another district.
Here’s what parents and families in Kansas need to know about how school choice will work.
How to apply
Students’ families can apply for a transfer into a different school in June of 2024, before the fall semester begins.
As each district develops policies for transfer students they will be required to hold a public hearing on their proposed policy. Notice of the hearing must be posted in a local newspaper and on the district’s website.
Once policies are adopted, the policy must be posted on the district’s website.
Students who successfully apply and enroll in a new district will be able to remain there until they graduate. But if a student would like to change schools and enroll in the district they reside in, they will be able to do so at any point.
Is my student guaranteed enrollment?
No, not exactly. The district will have a set number of spaces available for nonresident students, and some districts may be full. If the number of applicants exceeds the spaces they have available, the district will have to randomly select students before July 15 each year.
If you have multiple students in the house and one is accepted into the school of your choice, the other children will be given priority when it comes to enrollment in that same district.
Can a district deny enrollment?
Students can only be denied admittance to a non-resident district if there is not enough space. However, districts can decline to allow the student to remain enrolled in the school.
Reasons a district could decline to retain a student could include absenteeism, suspensions or expulsions but districts are not limited to that list.
Students cannot be admitted or denied on the basis of ethnicity, gender, income, nationality or for having a disabling condition. School districts also can’t admit students for their athletic ability or measure of achievement.
If a student is denied from enrollment, the school is required to send the family a note explaining their decision.
What about transportation?
How your student actually gets to school will be your responsibility.
School districts will not be required to help students get to and from school if they live outside the district. Technically, if a school district has the capacity to provide transportation, they can do so, but they do not have to.
What does this mean for student athletes?
The only rule in the bill about student athletes states that districts cannot admit or deny a student based on their athletic performance. Otherwise, the bill refers student athletes to the Kansas State High School Activity Association to learn more about what the rules for transferring are.
The Kansas State High School Activity Association does have its own transfer process that student athletes must complete before enrolling in a new district. Transfer students in Kansas are barred from competing in varsity athletics for the first year at their new school if their parents did not move. Details on how student athletes can apply for a transfer can be found in the KSHSAA Handbook under Rule 18.
The Star’s Katie Bernard contributed reporting to this story.
Do you have other questions about open enrollment or education in Kansas? Let us know at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Gov. Kelly signed Kansas’ school choice bill. Here’s what that means for your student."
