The bill amends existing education laws in Wyoming to allow children to enroll in any public school within their resident school district, starting from the 2026-2027 school year. It requires school district boards of trustees to adopt policies that facilitate this open enrollment process, giving priority to students who attended the school the previous year, those residing within the school attendance area, participants in school-based education programs, and siblings of currently enrolled students. Additionally, the bill mandates that school districts report the number of vacancies available for enrollment in each grade level on their official websites at least every twelve weeks.

Furthermore, the bill outlines specific exceptions under which a school district may decline enrollment, such as insufficient capacity or if the student has been suspended or expelled. It also emphasizes that no child can be denied access to public schools based on sex, race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, disability, residential address, or religion. The state superintendent of public instruction is tasked with publishing the reported information from school districts annually. The effective date for these changes is set for July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 21-2-202, 21-3-110, 21-4-301, 21-4-303
Engrossed: 21-2-202, 21-3-110, 21-4-301, 21-4-303