S 120 OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR MILITARY CHILDREN

Sen Harold James Pope

Actions: SPREF [1] SEC/SHPAC-SEC [7] DP/a-SHPAC [8] DP - PASSED/S (37-0) [10] HEC/HLVMC-HEC [13] DP-HLVMC [14] DP [17] PASSED/H (63-0)

Scheduled: Not Scheduled

 Senate Bill 120 (SB 120) amends Public Education to allow for open enrollment flexibility for children of military families.
 

 Senate Bill 120 (SB 120) amends Public Education to allow for open enrollment flexibility for children of military families.

SECTION 1 amends Public Education Section 22-1-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1975, Chapter 338, Section 1, as amended) in Subsection E, which provides that a local school board shall adopt rules governing enrollment at public schools. to insert the provision to include students who had resided in the attendance area prior to a custodial parent. The priorities for enrollment established in paragraph (3)(b) has inserted that students who had resided in the attendance area prior to a custodial parent who is an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States moving or pending a move from temporary to permanent housing or are pending a move from temporary to permanent housing into the attendance area of a public school.

SECTION 2 amends Public Education Section 22-8B-4.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2000, Chapter 82, Section 3, as amended) to provide in Subsection B(4) that charter schools shall give enrollment preference to children of active duty military service members stationed in or pending assignment to an installation in New Mexico. 

 Senate Bill 120 (SB 120) is amended by the Senate Education Committee (SEC) to rewrite SECTION 1, Subsection E(3)(b) and to read as follows: 

E. A local school board shall adopt and promulgate rules governing enrollment and re-enrollment at public schools other than charter schools within the school district. These rules shall include:
(3) priorities for enrollment of students as follows:
(b) second, students who previously attended the public school or are the children of a military family living in temporary housing and are assigned, awaiting placement or pending a move to permanent housing in a different attendance area where the students' family seeks enrollment of the students in either their current school attendance area or the school attendance area of the permanent housing;

SECTION 2 amends Charter Schools’ Enrollment Procedures to delete item (4) from Section B, which required a charter school shall give enrollment preference to children of active duty military service members stationed in or pending assignment to an installation in New Mexico.