REPORT TITLE:
Education; School Choice


DESCRIPTION:
Allows parents to choose the school their child will attend.
Requires drawing of school district boundaries so at least 2
school choices are available to each student.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        3034
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION. 


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  Section 302A-1142, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended to read as follows:
 
 3      "[[]§302A-1142[]]  School districts[.] and school service
 
 4 areas.  For better control and management of public schools, the
 
 5 department may designate school districts[,] and service areas
 
 6 for individual schools.  The department shall establish [their]
 
 7 boundaries[,] for the school districts and the school service
 
 8 areas, and alter the same from time to time as in its discretion
 
 9 it deems most advisable.  These districts and service areas shall
 
10 be [so] arranged so that there shall be no unassigned
 
11 locality[.], and so that each student has a choice of at least
 
12 two schools to attend."
 
13      SECTION 2.  Section 302A-1144, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
14 amended to read as follows:
 
15      "[[]§302A-1144[]]  Records of pupils[; release from
 
16 attendance].  All schools shall keep a correct register of the
 
17 names, sex, age, [and] nationality[,] as far as is ascertainable,
 
18 date of entering school, and the places of residence of the
 
19 children attending their respective schools.  [No school shall
 

 
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 1 grant a release to any child under eighteen years of age, who is
 
 2 registered as attending the child's school, for the purpose of
 
 3 attending another school, unless the consent and approval of the
 
 4 parents or guardians of the child is given in writing with the
 
 5 facts and reasons therefor.]  The register shall be carefully
 
 6 preserved, and as often as the department shall direct, the
 
 7 register or a true copy thereof shall be filed in the office of
 
 8 the department."
 
 9      SECTION 3.  Section 302A-1145, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
10 amended to read as follows:
 
11      "[[]§302A-1145[]]  Transfer to another school.  No school
 
12 shall receive any child under eighteen years of age[,] who has
 
13 attended another school of the same class [in the same district],
 
14 unless the child produces, to the school to be entered, a
 
15 certificate of release [of] from the school last attended by the
 
16 child.  If the child applies to attend a school of higher grade,
 
17 a certificate of proficiency shall be required or a lawful excuse
 
18 for its absence.  [The children from one district desiring to
 
19 enter a school in another district may be received or admitted
 
20 upon producing a certificate of release from the school last
 
21 attended in the other district.] The certificate of release shall
 
22 be issued by the school last attended when notified, by the
 
23 admitting school of its intention to admit the child or by the
 

 
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 1 parents or guardians of the child, that the child is being
 
 2 transferred."
 
 3      SECTION 4.  Section 302A-1143, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 4 repealed.
 
 5      ["[§302A-1143]  Attend school in what district.  All persons
 
 6 of school age shall be required to attend the school of the
 
 7 district in which they reside, unless it appears to the
 
 8 department to be desirable to allow the attendance of pupils at a
 
 9 school in some other district, in which case the department may
 
10 grant this permission."]
 
11      SECTION 5.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
12 New statutory material is underscored.
 
13      SECTION 6.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval and
 
14 shall commence from the school year 2000-2001.
 
15 
 
16                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________