JEFFERSON CITY – On Tuesday, HB 42 – the student transfer bill – was passed by the Missouri legislature, and now proceeds to the Governor’s desk. This bill is the product of two years of careful development, and is a long-awaited remedy to the disorder of the current student transfer process.

On December 1, 2013, Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal filed SB 516, which contained the foundation of the bill passed on Tuesday. The concepts from Senator Chappelle-Nadal’s SB 516 that were used to create HB 42 relate to:

• School Accreditation By Building:  The cornerstone of HB 42 is that individual schools will now receive their own accreditation status apart from that of the district.

• Intra-district transfers as 1st option, Inter-district transfers as 2nd:  Students may transfer to the best available schools closest to home. Out-of-district options become available if there are no spaces in-district.

• Charter Schools:  The area in which charter schools may operate is expanded.

• Home Visits:  Struggling schools are encouraged to adopt home visit policies.

• Transient Students:  Assessment data of transient students will be phased in for statewide assessment purposes.

• Parent Portal:  A funding system is established for parents’ access of educational information.

• Student Firewall:  Students who are severely behind in their education are prohibited from proceeding through the system without basic skills they need for adult life.

• Ensuring Students Transfer into Quality Buildings:  Only high-performing schools may accept transfer students.

• Regional Education Authorities:  Three regional bodies are created to coordinate transfers for their respective areas.

 On the night of the bill’s passage, Senator Chappelle-Nadal made this statement:

“It has been years of work – I’m thankful to all of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, as well as our staff. This is some of the most complicated legislation of our time, the bill is calculus in words.

The education establishment’s playbook is old, and isn’t working for students trapped in failing schools – the children deserve better. We were determined to craft a bill that gives students an opportunity to succeed elsewhere while preserving sending districts like Normandy for those who choose to stay.

African-Americans represent 79.4 percent of the students in Missouri schools with scores consistent with unaccredited status. Brown v. Board of Education held that there cannot be equality in racially divided education – it is a violation of our Constitution. 

I urge the governor to sign this bill, and allow all Missouri children the chance to pursue opportunity.”