HB 1349: Make it easier for students to move between public schools

House Bill 1349, sponsored by Rep. Jansen Owen, would allow students to transfer to schools outside of their school district, subject to available capacity.

With this, it would be easier for students to move between public schools to find the setting that works best for them.

State law currently allows any student to apply for a transfer to another district by submitting a request to his or her local school board. Once approved, the request moves to the school board of the receiving school district for approval. In other words, a student may only transfer to another school district if both the sending and receiving school boards agree.

In practice, some Mississippi districts form agreements with a nearby district or a district consortium, while others choose not to approve any student transfers or review requests on a case-by-case basis.

Whether students have this option depends entirely on the school board of their home school district.

Under the proposed bill, your home district would no longer be allowed to block a student from attending another district. If a receiving district has more requests for transfers than space available, they will fill seats through a public lottery.

Empower Mississippi supports this bill.

Both bills have been referred to Education. You can read HB 1349 here and SB 2177 here.