Sponsor Statement for HB 367

"An Act relating to part-time public school students; and providing for an effective date."

From the beginning, HB 158, the part-time student bill from last Session, was intended and discussed in committee and on the floor as an anti-discrimination and equal access bill. The Anchorage, Valdez, and Kenai School Districts have implemented policies that require part-time students to wait at the back of the line until full-time students have had the opportunity to enroll. This clearly is discriminatory and contrary to the bill which states that a part-time student can only be denied enrollment if a full-time student would similarly be denied.

The Anchorage School District (ASD) has stated that the reason behind their policy comes from 4 AAC 05.035 (b) (1) "space is available in a course in which the student desires to enroll after full-time public school students have had an opportunity to enroll."

My intent from the bill's conception was to remove the discrimination against part-time students. This bill will effect that intent within the regulations, 4 AAC 05.035 (b) (1).