MO HB685

School boards in provisionally accredited or unaccredited districts must enter into contracts with the state board of education committing to specific interventions, including intensive professional development for board members, administrators, and teachers.

A review team from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be assigned to perform thorough reviews of struggling districts or schools and identify priority improvement areas.

Newly elected or appointed school board members must complete at least 16 hours of orientation and training within one year; board members in struggling districts must complete at least 12 hours of annual continuing education, with failure to comply resulting in forfeiture of their board position.

Students who transferred out of unaccredited districts during the 2014-15 school year may continue attending the receiving district until graduation, provided they maintain residency and continuous attendance; their test scores will not count toward the receiving district's scores for two years.

A "School Transfer Corporation" is established as a public body corporate to implement a voluntary school transfer program for students in provisionally accredited or unaccredited districts, with participation being optional for receiving districts.