Governor signs bill easing school-transfer process for military children

May 7, 2009

OLYMPIA – For military families, the process of transferring schools is about to become easier thanks to legislation signed into law this afternoon by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
 
Senate Bill 5248, sponsored by Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens), authorizes Washington state to join the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, the emerging national standard in reducing the burdens associated with transferring schools as often as military families do. Rep. Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge Island) sponsored the identical companion bill in the House, HB 1075. After its passage in the House on April 13, she remarked on its significance.
 
“Today is a great day for Washington’s military families. By joining this compact, Washington state is honoring the service and sacrifice of military families through streamlining the complicated school-transfer process,” Rolfes said.
 
She noted that the average length of duty is about two to three years, which might translate into several moves during the course of a child’s schooling career. Because of these frequent moves, military families often have trouble coordinating several different sets of records, graduation requirements, grade-level discrepancies and more, said Rolfes.
 
Since December 2007, the compact has been introduced in 32 states. Eleven states have adopted it, and others are considering it. Washington’s participation in the compact would ensure such things as easy access to educational records, continuation at the same grade level, access to similar special courses (such as honors or English as a second language) and participation in extracurricular activities.
 
The bill also creates a state council to monitor participation and compliance with the compact. The council will review the implementation process in Washington and report back to the Legislature in five years whether it recommends continued participation in the compact.
 
The bill passed the House 98-0 on April 13, after having passed the Senate 45-0 on March 10.
 
Nearly 30,000 military children live in Washington, the nation’s seventh-largest such population.
 
More information about SB 5248 is available here. A fact sheet is available below.
 
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Senate Bill 5248/House Bill 1075 Fact Sheet
Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
 
This bill authorizes the state of Washington to join a multi-state compact in a nationwide effort to streamline the transitions that military children undergo in school when their families are transferred to a different state.  Thirty-two states have introduced legislation to join the compact, and Washington joins eleven states that have formally joined.  These states will work together to have rules and policies that are consistent between each other.  In one simple example, if students have completed the state history requirement in one state, they shouldn’t be required to take the new state’s history course in order to graduate.  
 
The bill not only allows Washington state to play a role in developing these guidelines, it also makes changes to state laws to be consistent with the rules of the compact.  Some examples (excerpted from the bill report):
 
Educational Records. If the sending school cannot provide the parent a copy of the official record, an unofficial copy will be provided that may be hand-carried to the school in lieu of the official record. The receiving school must use the unofficial copy to enroll and place the student while the school sends for the official record. Once the records are requested, the sending school has ten days to provide them to the receiving school. State law was amended to require school districts to furnish the unofficial copy (if requested), to permit districts to charge the actual cost of providing the copy, and to require the records to be sent in ten days.
 
Kindergarten and First Grade Entrance Age. Students must be allowed to continue at the same grade level in the receiving state, regardless of age requirements. State law is amended to eliminate the current school district discretion in assigning the grade level.
 
Program and Course Placement. When a student transfers, the receiving state school must initially honor placement of the student in programs and courses based on the student’s enrollment in or assessment by the sending state school, if "like" programs and courses are offered. Programs include Highly Capable and English as a Second Language. Courses include Honors, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, vocational, technical, and career pathways courses. The receiving state may conduct subsequent evaluations to ensure appropriate placement and continued enrollment of the student. State law is amended to provide school district discretion in determining whether the program in the sending state is a "like" program, but discretion was allowed if the courses were already full.
 
Tuition. State law was changed to prohibit school districts from charging tuition when the student is placed in the care of a person who lives in a jurisdiction or state other than that of the custodial parent (this can be an issue for students in border counties).
 
Residency. A student may continue to attend a school when placed in the care of a noncustodial parent who lives in another school district. State law giving school districts the discretion to permit the student to continue attendance is amended and specifies the continuation occurs when the custodial parent is required to relocate because of military orders, and that the nonresident school district is not required to pay transportation costs unless otherwise provided by law.
 
Extracurricular Activities. The state and school districts must facilitate the opportunity for inclusion in extracurricular activities to the extent the student is otherwise qualified.  School district discretion based on space available was allowed.
 
Graduation. School districts must provide alternative means of acquiring required coursework so that graduation occurs on time. States must accept exit or end-of-course exams required for graduation from the sending state; national norm-referenced achievement tests; or alternative testing, in lieu of testing requirements for graduation in the receiving state.