SB 587

This bill provides that, during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, a pupil

enrolled in or attending a public or private school may, under certain conditions,

transfer to another school. The bill allows a pupil to transfer one time per school year

under the following conditions:

1. If a school requires pupils to wear face coverings to prevent the transmission

of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (face coverings), a pupil enrolled in or

attending the school may transfer to a school that does not require pupils to wear face

coverings.

2. If a school does not require pupils to wear face coverings, a pupil enrolled in

or attending the school may transfer to a school that does require pupils to wear face

coverings.

3. If a school requires pupils to receive, or to show proof of having received,

COVID-19 vaccines, a pupil enrolled in or attending the school may transfer to a

school that does not require pupils to receive or to show proof of having received

COVID-19 vaccines.

4. If a school does not require pupils to receive, or to show proof of having

received, COVID-19 vaccines, a pupil enrolled in or attending the school may

transfer to a school that does require pupils to receive or to show proof of having

received COVID-19 vaccines.

Under the bill, if a pupil is eligible to transfer schools, the pupil's parent must

apply to the school the pupil wants to attend (transferee school), and, if the pupil is

accepted and attends the transferee school, the Department of Public Instruction

must make a payment to the transferee school on behalf of the pupil. The payment

amount is one of the following:

1. If the pupil transfers to a transferee school that is a private school and the

pupil is not a child with a disability, the per pupil amount is equal to the per pupil

amount for a pupil who participates in a parental choice program, which, for the

2021-22 school year, is $8,336 for a pupil in grades kindergarten to eight and $8,982

for a pupil in grades 9 to 12.

2. If the pupil transfers to a transferee school that is a private school and the

pupil is a child with a disability, the per pupil amount is equal to the per pupil

scholarship amount for a pupil who participates in the Special Needs Scholarship

Program, which for the 2021-22 school year, is $13,013.

3. If the pupil transfers to a transferee school that is a public school and the

pupil is not a child with a disability, the per pupil amount is equal to the per pupil

transfer amount for a pupil who is not a child with a disability under the full-time

open enrollment program, which, for the 2021-22 school year, is $8,161.

4. If the pupil transfers to a transferee school that is a public school and the

pupil is a child with a disability, the per pupil amount is equal to the per pupil

transfer amount for a pupil who is a child with a disability under the full-time open