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District of Columbia State Board of Education
441 4th Street NW, Suites 530S & 723N | Washington, DC 20001
(202) 741-0888 | sboe.dc.gov | sboe@dc.gov | @DCSBOE
June 24, 2025
The Honorable Phil Mendelson,
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
Enclosed for consideration and approval by the Council of the District of Columbia are the "Let
Students Attend Kindergarten Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 ," the " Let Students
Attend Kindergarten Temporary Amendment Act of 2025, and the accompanying
emergency declaration resolution.
The State Board of Education approved this proposed bill for transmittal to the District of
Columbia Council by a vote of 7-0-1 on June 18, 2025.
If you or your staff have any questions about this legislation, please get in touch with me at (202)
741- 0888 or bernice.butler@dc.gov.
On behalf of the State Board of Education, I respectfully request that the Council take prompt
action on the enclosed legislation.
Sincerely,
Bernice D. Butler
Executive Director
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A BILL
~$nd-
'chairrr{an Phil Mendelson
on behalf of the State Board of
E ducation
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
To amend , on an emergency basis, compulsory school enrollment requirements to ensure
minors attending pre-kindergarten programs are not considered tmant or victims
of educational neglect; to ensure that if a minor living in another state turns five
after that state's kindergarten entrance-age date cutoff, but before September 30,
and then the family moves into the District during the DC school year, that the
child will not be considered tmant; to ensure students enrolled in private or
parochial pre-k programs and students moving into the District of Columbia shall
be permitted to be enrolled in kindergarten at the request of the minor's parent or
guardian; and to ensure that students who relied upon prior communications by
DC Public Schools related to feeder pattern advancement are not disadvantaged
by that reliance since the school lottery has passed.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
That this act may be cited as the "Let Students Attend Kindergarten Emergency
Amendment Act of 2025".
Sec. 2. Section 1 of Article II of an Act to provide for compulsory school
attendance, for the taking of a school census in the District of Columbia, and for other
purposes, approved Febmary 4, 1925 (43 Stat. 806; D .C. Official Code§ 38-202 et seq.),
is amended by inserting a new subsection (b) to read as follows:
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“(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, for School Years 2025-2026 37 and 2026-2027, a minor shall be exempt from the requirements of subsection (a) of this 38 section if: 39 “(1)(A) The minor was living in another state, and did not meet that state’s 40 age requirement to enroll in kindergarten at the date of that state’s enrollment deadline; 41 and 42 “(B) The minor moved to the District after the beginning of the 43 DCPS academic year; or 44 “(2)(A) The minor is younger than the age of 6; and 45 (B) The minor is enrolled in a public, private, or parochial five-46 day-per-week pre-kindergarten program.”. 47 Sec. 3. Section 203 of the Student Promotion Act of 2013, effective February 22, 48 2014 (D.C. Law 20-84; D.C. Official Code § 38-781.02), is amended by adding new 49 subsections (e), (f), and (g) to read as follows: 50 “(e)(1) For School Years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, any minor who has not 51 attended kindergarten, and who has not reached the age of 6 on or before May 31 shall be 52 permitted to be enrolled in kindergarten at the request of the minor’s parent or guardian. 53 “(2) DCPS shall provide written notice by July 31, 2025, or as soon as 54 possible, to the family or guardian of any child who has been told they must skip DCPS 55 kindergarten, or who has enrolled in DCPS as a first grader without having attended 56 kindergarten, that the child is eligible for kindergarten in School Year 2025-2026. 57 “(f) Any student completing their terminal year at a feeder school in School Year 58 2024-2025, may advance to the next middle or high school of that feeder pattern in 59
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School Year 2025-2026, regardless of whether the student moved out of the boundary at 60 the current school. 61 “(g) Any student completing their terminal year at Hardy Middle School in 62 School Year 2024-2025, may choose whether they advance to MacArthur High School or 63 Jackson-Reed High School if they have a sibling attending Jackson-Reed High School for 64 School Year 2025-2026.”. 65 Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 66 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Budget Director as the 67 fiscal impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act 68 of 1975, approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 69 Sec. 5. Effective date. 70 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto 71 by the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), and shall remain in effect for 72 no longer than 90 days, as provided for emergency acts of the Council of the District of 73 Columbia in section 412(a) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act approved 74 December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 788; D.C. Official Code § 1-204.12(a)). 75