SENATE BILL No. 492

 

 

September 12, 2013, Introduced by Senators CASWELL, JONES, GREEN, BOOHER, NOFS and COLBECK and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled

 

"The revised school code,"

 

by amending section 1147 (MCL 380.1147), as amended by 2012 PA 198.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1147. (1) A child who is a resident of a school district

 

that does not provide kindergarten and who is at least 5 years of

 

age on the first day of enrollment of the school year may attend

 

school in the school district.

 

     (2) In a school district that provides kindergarten, until the

 

2013-2014 school year, a child who is a resident of the school

 

district may enroll in the kindergarten if the child is at least 5

 

years of age on December 1 of the school year of enrollment.

 

Subject to subsection (3), for the 2013-2014 school year, a child


 

who resides in the school district may enroll in kindergarten if

 

the child is at least 5 years of age on November 1, 2013. Subject

 

to subsection (3), for the 2014-2015 school year, a child who

 

resides in the school district may enroll in kindergarten if the

 

child is at least 5 years of age on October 1, 2014. Subject to

 

subsection (3), beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, a child

 

who resides in the school district may enroll in kindergarten if

 

the child is at least 5 years of age on September 1 of the school

 

year of enrollment.

 

     (3) If a child residing in the school district or a child

 

eligible to enroll in and be counted in membership in the school

 

district under section 105 or 105c of the state school aid act of

 

1979, MCL 388.1705 and 388.1705c, is not 5 years of age on the

 

enrollment eligibility date specified in subsection (2), but will

 

be 5 years of age not later than December 1 of a school year, the

 

parent or legal guardian of that child may enroll the child in

 

kindergarten for that school year if the parent or legal guardian

 

notifies the school district in writing not later than June 1

 

before the beginning of the school year that he or she intends to

 

enroll the child in kindergarten. If a child described in this

 

subsection becomes a resident of the school district after June 1,

 

the child's parent or legal guardian may enroll the child in

 

kindergarten for that school year if the parent or legal guardian

 

submits this written notification to the school district not later

 

than August 1 before the beginning of that school year. A school

 

district that receives this written notification may make a

 

recommendation to the parent or legal guardian of a child described


 

in this subsection that the child is not ready to enroll in

 

kindergarten due to the child's age or other factors. However,

 

regardless of this recommendation, the parent or legal guardian

 

retains the sole discretion to determine whether or not to enroll

 

the child in kindergarten under this subsection.

 

     (4) The ages prescribed in this section for a child's

 

eligibility for enrollment in a school district also apply to a

 

child's eligibility to enroll in a public school academy.

 

     (5) If a school district or public school academy enrolls any

 

children in kindergarten for a school year under subsection (3),

 

the school district or public school academy shall notify the

 

department of the number of those children enrolled by not later

 

than December 31 of that school year.