Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

HF 57

as introduced - 91st Legislature, 2020 2nd Special Session (2020 - 2020) Posted on 07/13/2020 12:21pm

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.
Line numbers 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5
3.6

A bill for an act
relating to education finance; creating a choice scholarship program with enrollment
options for students; authorizing general education revenue for nonpublic school
use for a transfer student; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,
chapter 124D.

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

Section 1.

new text begin [124D.031] CHOICE SCHOLARSHIPS; ENROLLMENT OPTIONS FOR
STUDENTS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Student eligibility. new text end

new text begin A student who attends a school operated by a school
district or a charter school for at least one school year and whose family income is equal to
or less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level is eligible to enroll in a qualifying
nonpublic school under this section or a nonresident district school or program under section
124D.03.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Nonpublic school eligibility. new text end

new text begin (a) To be eligible to participate under this section,
a nonpublic school must:
new text end

new text begin (1) notify the commissioner of its intent to participate;
new text end

new text begin (2) accept students on a random basis, except that a nonpublic school may give preference
to any sibling of a student already enrolled in the nonpublic school;
new text end

new text begin (3) comply with section 121A.04 and chapter 363A;
new text end

new text begin (4) make reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements under the Americans
with Disabilities Act, Public Law 101-336;
new text end

new text begin (5) adopt an antidiscrimination, harassment prevention, and violence prevention policy
that complies with section 121A.03, and a policy to prevent intimidation and bullying; and
new text end

new text begin (6) submit data to the commissioner in the form and manner required by the commissioner
so that the school may be included in the state's annual school performance report cards
under section 120B.36.
new text end

new text begin (b) The nonpublic school must administer either the statewide reading and math
assessments under section 120B.30 or a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement
exam to an eligible student upon request of that student.
new text end

new text begin (c) The commissioner must ensure that the nonpublic school complies with the
requirements of this subdivision.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Tuition funding. new text end

new text begin If a student transfers to a nonpublic school under this section,
and upon receiving proof that the student is enrolled in the nonpublic school, the
commissioner must make quarterly payments to the student's parent or guardian in an amount
equal to the lesser of the state average general education revenue per pupil unit, calculated
without transportation sparsity revenue, or the nonpublic school's operating and debt service
cost per pupil that is related to educational programming, as determined by the commissioner.
The commissioner must send the payment check to the nonpublic school and the parent or
guardian must restrictively endorse the payment check for the nonpublic school's use.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Student transportation. new text end

new text begin A resident school district is responsible for providing
transportation within the district's borders for a student who enrolls in a nonpublic school
under this section. The resident school district must receive transportation funding equal to
the actual costs in the current school year for those transportation services.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Testing. new text end

new text begin The state must pay the nonpublic school costs of administering
assessments under section 120B.30 in the same manner as for public schools.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Curriculum review; exempt from instruction. new text end

new text begin Each participating nonpublic
school must provide a procedure for a parent, a guardian, or an adult student to review the
content of instructional materials and, if found objectionable, make reasonable arrangements
with school personnel for alternative instruction. Alternative instruction may be provided
by a parent, a guardian, or an adult student if the alternative instruction, if any, offered by
the participating nonpublic school does not adequately address the concerns of the parent,
guardian, or adult student. The participating nonpublic school is not required to pay for the
costs of alternative instruction provided by a parent, a guardian, or an adult student. School
personnel may not impose an academic or other penalty upon a student merely for arranging
alternative instruction under this section. School personnel may evaluate and assess the
quality of the student's work.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin List of participating schools. new text end

new text begin The commissioner must publish and maintain
on the Department of Education's website a list of qualifying nonpublic schools and the
number of students attending each of the schools on a choice scholarship.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2022-2023 school year and later.
new text end