31may01...1244h

4/18/02 3577s

2002 SESSION

01-0289

04/10

HOUSE BILL 631-LOCAL

AN ACT relative to access to public school programs by nonpublic or home educated pupils.

COMMITTEE: Education

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill provides that home educated pupils shall have access to curricular courses or cocurricular programs offered by the school district in which the pupil resides, and that local school boards may establish a policy regulating participation in curricular courses and cocurricular programs, provided the policy is not more restrictive for non-public or home educated pupils than the policy governing the school district's resident pupils.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

31may01...1244h

4/18/02 3577s

01-0289

04/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Two

AN ACT relative to access to public school programs by nonpublic or home educated pupils.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

202:1 New Section; Pupils; School Attendance; Access to Public School Programs. Amend RSA 193 by inserting after section 1-b the following new section:

193:1-c Access to Public School Programs by Nonpublic or Home Educated Pupils.

I. Nonpublic or home educated pupils shall have access to curricular courses and cocurricular programs offered by the school district in which the pupil resides. The local school board may adopt a policy regulating participation in curricular courses and cocurricular programs, provided that such policy shall not be more restrictive for non-public or home educated pupils than the policy governing the school district's resident pupils. In this section, "cocurricular" shall include those activities which are designed to supplement and enrich regular academic programs of study, provide opportunities for social development, and encourage participation in clubs, athletics, performing groups, and service to school and community. For purposes of allowing access as described in this section, a "home educated pupil" shall not include any pupil who has graduated from a high school level program of home education, or its equivalent, or has attained the age of 21.

II. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a parent to establish a home education program which exceeds the requirements of RSA 193:1.

202:2 Repeal. RSA 193:1-a, II, relative to the eligibility of home educated resident pupils to attend curricular public school courses, is repealed.

202:3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

(Approved: May 15, 2002)

(Effective Date: July 14, 2002)