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February 2, 2026
Nyasha Smith, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Smith,
Today, I am introducing the Lottery Preference for Families Impacted by School Closures
Amendment Act of 2026 along with my colleague Councilmember Matthew Frumin. This
legislation would establish a preference in the District’s annual school lottery for students
impacted by a school closure and require that District public charter schools offer this
preference.
Since 1996, more that eighty charter schools have closed their doors in the District—a mean of
more than two and a half per year.1 These closures have occurred for a variety of reasons,
including charter revocation by the Public Charter School Board (PCSB) or its predecessor,
relinquished charters, and campus closures.
Such closures are sometimes abrupt, leaving students and their families scrambling to find
alternative arrangements for the school year. For instance, in 2024 Eagle Academy PCS closed
less than two weeks before the start of the school year.2 While 323 Eagle Academy students were
ultimately enrolled in D.C. public schools or public charter schools one month after the school’s
closure, Eagle Academy PCS families missed out on the opportunity to participate in the full
school lottery that occurred in the winter and spring of 2024. In sum, those students had to
choose from schools with available slots rather than have the chance to secure spots at schools
that filled up during the lottery.
1 History of DC Charter School Openings and Closures, D.C. Public Charter School Board, July 02, 2025, available
at https://dcpcsb.org/history-dc-charter-school-openings-and-closures.
2 Eagle Academy PCS Closes Its Doors, D.C. Public Charter School Board, August 19, 2024, available at
https://www.dcpcsb.org/eagle-academy-pcs-closes-its-doors.
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Research on school closures suggests that students attending a school that closes experience
“long-term negative effects on their higher education attainment and even their wages.”3 In light
of the potential impacts of such disruptions, this legislation will assist students and families
impacted by school closures by giving them preference in the school lottery in the charter sector.
This preference will be available in the instant year if the announcement of the closure occurs
while the lottery is underway; otherwise the preference will be available during the next lottery
year.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Council and in the Executive to improve
outcomes for students experiencing school closures in the district. Please contact my Deputy
Chief of Staff at cshaw@dccouncil.gov if you have any questions about this legislation.
Sincerely,
Zachary Parker
Ward 5 Councilmember
Chair, Committee on Youth Affairs
3 Libby Stanford, The Harm of School Closures Can Last a Lifetime, New Research Shows, Ed Week, June 18,
2024, available at https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-harm-of-school-closures-can-last-a-lifetime-new-
research-shows/2024/06.
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_____________________________ _____________________________ 2
Councilmember Matthew Frumin Councilmember Zachary Parker 3
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A BILL 6
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 10
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To amend section 2206 of the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 to require charter 15
schools to offer a preference to any applicant who, during the current or immediately 16
preceding school year, attended a school that was closed. 17
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may 19
be cited as the “Lottery Preference for Families Impacted by School Closures 20
Amendment Act of 2026”. 21
Sec. 2. The District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995, approved April 26, 1996 22
(110 Stat. 1321; D.C. Official Code, § 38-18.06(c), is amended to read as follows: 23
“(c) Random selection. — If there are more applications to enroll in a public charter 24
school from students who are residents of the District of Columbia than there are spaces 25
available, students shall be admitted using a random selection process, with the following 26
exceptions: 27
“(1) A preference in admission may be given to an applicant who is a: 28
“(A) Sibling or child of a student already attending or selected for 29
admission to the public charter school in which the applicant is seeking enrollment; 30
“(B) Child of a member of the public charter school’s founding board; 31
provided, that enrollment of such children is limited to no more than 10% of the school’s total 32
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enrollment or to 20 students, whichever is less; and 33
“(C) Child of a full-time employee of the public charter school who is a District 34
resident; provided, that enrollment of such children is limited to no more than 10% of the 35
school’s total enrollment. 36
“(2) A preference in admission shall be given to an applicant who, during the 37
current or immediately preceding school year, attended a Closed School. 38
“(A) For the purposes of this subsection, a Closed School means, 39
“(i) A school authorized by the PCSB that a student attended 40
during the current or immediately preceding school year and that, prior to the opening of the 41
enrollment period in the common lottery for admissions to public schools pursuant to § 38-194, 42
has had its charter revoked pursuant to § 38-1802.13, has not had its charter renewed pursuant to 43
§ 38-1802.12, has voluntarily relinquished its charter, or has provided governing board 44
notification to the PCSB of its intent to close. 45
“(ii) A District of Columbia Public School that a student attended 46
during the current or immediately preceding school year and that, prior to the opening of the 47
common lottery enrollment period established pursuant to § 38-194, was determined 48
consolidated or closed by District of Columbia Public Schools. 49
“(B) In the event that a school permanently ceases operations after the 50
conclusion of the Common Lottery as a result of voluntary charter relinquishment, emergency 51
revocation, or other closure recognized by the PCSB or DCPS, a student who was enrolled in the 52
school at the time it ceased operations shall remain eligible for the closed school admission 53
preference for the school year immediately following the school year in which the school ceased 54
operations.” 55
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Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 56
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 57
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 58
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 59
Sec. 4. Effective date. 60
This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 61
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 62
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 63
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 64
Columbia Register. 65