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SCS/SB 242 – A student whose residence is located closer to a school in an adjoining district than to his or her assigned school in the district of residence may enroll in the adjoining district upon receiving approval from the adjoining district. In addition, a student whose residence is so located that attendance in the district of residence is an unusual or unreasonable transportation hardship may enroll in an adjoining school district upon approval of the adjoining district's school board. Natural barrier is defined as an obstruction to a school bus route for students who are required to be transported or who are transported as a result of district policy or practice, caused by streams, rivers, lakes and multilane highways with limited access. The pupil's parent or guardian must contact the receiving district by January 15 of the preceding school year unless good cause is shown, as described in the act. The pupil's school district of residence must pay tuition to the receiving district, as described in the act. The district of residence must also pay the receiving district all other aid attributable to the pupil, including any other federal, state, or local aid received on account of the pupil. If the parent enrolls a child in a district with a higher operating levy for school purposes than the district of residence, the parent must also pay the receiving district the product of the difference between the districts' operating levies for school purposes times the assessed valuation of the real property owned by the parent, as described in the act. The school district of residence must pay the receiving district twice annually, once at the start of the school year and once in the middle of the year. For late payments, a late charge of two and a half percent for every two weeks will be incurred. When a payment is more than three months past due, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must, upon notice from the receiving district, withhold the total tuition amount, including federal, state, and local funds, and interest, from the school district of residence's state school aid and send payment in full to the receiving district. If the parent or guardian is dissatisfied after enrolling his or her child in the receiving, he or she may return the child to the school district of residence upon notification to both districts. However, the parent or guardian may not reenroll the child in the receiving district although the child may be eligible to enroll in another adjoining district. For a child who enrolls in another district, the parent or guardian will be responsible for transportation without reimbursement. A school district may voluntarily provide transportation, as described in the act. The parent or guardian of a child who is denied enrollment by an adjoining district may appeal such denial to the State Board of Education if the following conditions are met: the pupil has met the qualifications for transfer and the receiving district has available space and the district's teacher/pupil ratio in the appropriate grade or placement level for the pupil is not below the "desirable" standard established in Missouri School Improvement Program resource standards. The State Board shall assign the pupil to the adjoining school district if it finds the district improperly denied enrollment to the pupil. The State Board may also charge an administrative fee of up to five hundred dollars to either the school district of residence or adjoining school district. MICHAEL RUFF
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