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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 17, 2023 04:37 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Tracy Pennycuick |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Children of Military Families Advanced Enrollment |
| In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation allowing for Advanced Enrollment, which would allow children of military families to access registration and enrollment to a school district at the same time it is open to the general population. This is companion legislation to Representatives Milou Mackenzie and Brian Munroe’s bill in the House. An estimated 185,000 military students move between schools annually. Currently, students of military families that are transferring on official military permanent change of station orders are not eligible to register in classes, enroll in specialized academic programs, or submit their children’s names in lotteries for charter or magnet schools until they are physically located within the district boundaries. When these students move as a result of their parent’s service, they are often disadvantaged due to missed deadlines. If they do miss these deadlines, they may have to shift their planned courses of study, which may force them to take summer classes, or even graduate later than expected. This legislation would allow military children to access registration and enrollment to a school district at the same time it is open to the general population. Specifically, it would allow a child whose parent or guardian is an active-duty member of the military and has received official military orders to transfer into or within the Commonwealth. They would be able to establish residency for purposes of enrollment in the school district in which they will be residing by providing the school district with a copy of their military order. The proof of residency requirement would be waived until the student begins school. Current law considers the residency of a child to be that of the school district in which the parents or guardians of the child reside. Upon enrolling a child in a school district, the parent or guardian must provide proof of residency showing that they currently reside within the attendance boundaries of the school district. This bill will breakdown barriers to children of military families and ensure that all students will have the means to thrive and continue their education without disruption. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as SB707