Missouri House endorses student transfer legislation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri House members have endorsed legislation that deals with a student transfer law.

Legislators are trying to revise the law after recent decisions by the state Supreme Court upholding a requirement for unaccredited districts to pay costs of transferring students. Those costs already have put a financial strain on the unaccredited Normandy district in suburban St. Louis and soon could affect the unaccredited Riverview Gardens and Kansas City districts.

House members endorsed the legislation 91-64 on Wednesday after limiting provisions that could allow some students to attend private schools at local taxpayers' expense. That now would apply only to districts in St. Louis city, St. Louis County and Jackson County and local voter approval would be required.

The bill now returns to the Senate, which earlier passed a different version.