D.C. Law 23-237. Expanding Equitable Access to Schools Amendment Act of 2020.
AN ACT
To amend the Department of Education Establishment Act of 2007 to require the Common Lottery Board to adopt policies and procedures for annually listing on the My School DC website the lottery preferences a school uses and, for the previous school year, the number of students admitted to each school under each preference; and to amend the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 to add an admissions preference for the child of a student already attending or selected for admission to a public charter school in which the child is seeking enrollment and to add an admissions preference for students classified as at-risk provided that a public charter school receives approval from the Public Charter School Board to implement this preference.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the "Expanding Equitable Access to Schools Amendment Act of 2020".
Sec. 2. Section 205(a)(1)(A) of the Department of Education Establishment Act of 2007, effective February 26, 2015 (D.C. Law 20-155; D.C. Official Code § 38-194(a)(1)(A)), is amended to read as follows:
"(A) Adopt policies and procedures to govern the common lottery system, to be implemented by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, including a requirement to list on the My School DC website, on an annual basis, for each school utilizing the common lottery system for admission:
"(i) All lottery preferences granted by the school, in the order that the preferences are applied; and
"(ii) For the previous year, the number of students admitted to the school pursuant to each lottery preference the school granted in that year, but not the preference, if any, for at-risk students;".
Sec. 3. Section 2206 of the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995, approved April 26, 1996 (110 Stat. 1321-123; D.C. Official Code § 38-1802.06), is amended as follows:
(a) Subsection (c)(1) is amended by striking the phrase "Sibling of" and inserting the phrase "Sibling or child of" in its place.
(b) A new subsection (c-3) is added to read as follows:
"(c-3) Authorization of a preference for at-risk students. —
"(1) Beginning with School Year 2022-2023, a public charter school may give a preference for admission to students who are at-risk, with prior approval from the PCSB.
"(2) A preference approved under this subsection shall remain in force for 5 school years and may be renewed an unlimited number of times, each time for a 5-year period, with prior approval from the PCSB.
"(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of this subsection, after an admissions preference for students who are at-risk has been in place at a public charter school for at least 2 school years, the public charter school may seek approval from the PCSB to discontinue the preference.
"(4) Upon approving or denying the establishment, renewal, or discontinuation of an admissions preference for students who are at-risk, the PCSB shall make publicly available a written document that specifies the rationale for its decision.
"(5) For the purposes of this subsection, the term "at-risk" shall have the same meaning as provided in
Sec. 4. Applicability.
(a) Section 2 shall apply upon the date of inclusion of its fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan.
(b) The Chief Financial Officer shall certify the date of the inclusion of the fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan and provide notice to the Budget Director of the Council of the certification.
(c)(1) The Budget Director shall cause the notice of the certification to be published in the District of Columbia Register.
(2) The date of publication of the notice of the certification shall not affect the applicability of the provision identified in subsection (a) of this this section.".
Sec. 5. Fiscal impact statement.
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
Sec. 6. Effective date.
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of Columbia Register.
