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A47, R66, H3862

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Erickson, G.M. Smith, Gilliam, Mitchell and M.M. Smith
Document Path: LC-0252WAB25.docx

Introduced in the House on January 30, 2025
Introduced in the Senate on February 18, 2025
Last Amended on April 29, 2025
Currently residing in the House
Governor's Action: May 12, 2025, Signed

Summary: Charter school enrollment preferences

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date	Body	Action Description with journal page number
1/30/2025	House	Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 44)
1/30/2025	House	Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works (House Journal-page 44)
2/5/2025	House	Member(s) request name added as sponsor: M.M. Smith
2/6/2025	House	Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education and Public Works (House Journal-page 11)
2/12/2025	House	Debate adjourned until Thur., 2-13-25 (House Journal-page 84)
2/13/2025	House	Amended (House Journal-page 19)
2/13/2025	House	Read second time (House Journal-page 19)
2/13/2025	House	Roll call Yeas-105 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 20)
2/13/2025	House	Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative day (House Journal-page 21)
2/18/2025	Senate	Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 13)
2/18/2025	Senate	Referred to Committee on Education (Senate Journal-page 13)
3/26/2025	Senate	Committee report: Favorable Education (Senate Journal-page 22)
4/29/2025	Senate	Amended (Senate Journal-page 66)
4/29/2025	Senate	Read second time (Senate Journal-page 66)
4/29/2025	Senate	Roll call Ayes-37 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 66)
4/30/2025	Senate	Read third time and returned to House with amendments (Senate Journal-page 20)
5/6/2025	House	Debate adjourned until Wed., 5-7-25 (House Journal-page 209)
5/7/2025	House	Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled (House Journal-page 35)
5/7/2025	House	Roll call Yeas-113 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 36)
5/8/2025		Ratified R 66
5/12/2025		Signed By Governor
5/19/2025		Effective date 05/12/25
5/19/2025		Act No. 47

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

01/30/2025
02/06/2025
02/13/2025
03/26/2025
04/29/2025

(A47, R66, H3862)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 59-40-50, RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOL ADMISSIONS, SO AS TO REVISE ADMISSIONS PREFERENCE CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES, AND TO ADD PROVISIONS CONCERNING STUDENTS WITH MULTIPLE ENROLLMENT PREFERENCES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Enrollment preference criteria revisions

SECTION 1.    Section 59-40-50(B)(8) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

(8)(a) not limit or deny admission or show preference in admission decisions to any individual or group of individuals, except in the case of an application to create a single gender charter school, in which case gender may be the only reason to show preference or deny admission to the school or as allowed by subitems (b) and (c).

(b) A charter school must give preference to students enrolled in the public charter school the previous year.

(c) A charter school may give enrollment preference to any of the following by enrolling the student without requiring participation in a lottery when a lottery is otherwise required under this chapter:

(i) a sibling of a pupil currently enrolled and attending, or who, within the last six years, attended the school for at least one complete academic year;

(ii) a child or children of any employee of the charter school or member of the charter school committee, provided that the number of students eligible for this preference may not exceed twenty percent of the school's total enrollment;

(iii) dependents of active-duty members of the military residing or stationed in this State, limited to not more than ten percent of the school's total enrollment except for schools meeting the provisions of subitem (f). Dependents of active-duty military members are subject to the enrollment provisions of Section 59-63-33.

(d) A student eligible for multiple enrollment preferences may be enrolled based on only one of the preferences, at the charter school's discretion. A student eligible for an enrollment preference that is denied the enrollment preference because the charter school has exceeded the number of enrollment preferences allowed must be permitted to participate in any enrollment lottery held by the school for the year the enrollment preference is denied.

(e) In the case of a charter school designated as an Alternative Education Campus, pursuant to Section 59-40-111, mission-aligned preference may be given to educationally disadvantaged students as specifically defined in their charter and charter contract approved by their sponsor and as allowed by ESSA.

(f) In addition, a charter school located on a federal military installation or base where the appropriate authorities have made buildings, facilities, and grounds on the installation or base available for use by the charter school as its principal location also may give enrollment priority to otherwise eligible students who are dependents of military personnel living in military housing on the base or installation or who are currently stationed at the base or installation not to exceed fifty percent of the total enrollment of the charter school. This priority is in addition to the other priorities provided by this item, but no child may be counted more than once for purposes of determining the percentage makeup of each priority;

Time effective

SECTION 2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 8th day of May, 2025.

Approved the 12th day of May, 2025.

This web page was last updated on June 2, 2025 at 11:17 AM