WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 5480

Education: other; transfer of enrollment due to certain bullying issues; provide for. Amends sec. 1401 of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1401) & adds sec. 1310f.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Greg Alexander and 20 co-sponsors

Allows bullying-affected students to transfer to a nonresident district, which must accept, with no tuition charge, and with records sent within 7 days.

referred to second reading
#education:other #education:schooldistricts
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 5480

Summary of HB 5480 (Michigan, 2025-2026)

Purpose and Intent

  • HB 5480 adds a new provision (Section 1310f) to the Revised School Code (PA 451 of 1976) and makes a related amendment to Section 1401.
  • The bill’s central aim is to allow a student experiencing bullying to transfer to a nonresident district (a surrounding district) without being subject to the receiving district’s residency requirements, known as an “emergency” or nonresident transfer process.
  • The section would be named the “Natalia Moore Law.”

Key Provisions

New Section: 1310f (Mandatory transfer in bullying cases)

  • A parent or legal guardian may request a transfer to a nonresident school district if:
    • The child is suffering bullying in the current district.
    • The bullying has been reported to appropriate school personnel, with documented incidents.
    • The current district attempted intervention, but the intervention failed to fix the bullying issues.
  • The receiving district must accept the transfer if the above criteria are met.
  • The receiving district may not reject the transfer based on the child’s habitual truancy in the current district.
  • If the transfer is approved, the current (sending) district must provide the student’s academic records to the receiving district within at least 7 days after notice of the transfer.
  • Liability: District boards, public school governing bodies, or individuals facilitating the transfer that fail to comply with 1310f are subject to a civil damages action for failure to transfer as required.
  • Definition of “bullying”: Uses the same definition as in Section 1310b of the code.
  • Enforcement/Name: The section is titled the “Natalia Moore Law.”

Amended Section: 1401 (Nonresident pupil tuition)

  • The state’s framework for admitting nonresident pupils and charging tuition remains, but with a notable modification:
    • A district cannot charge tuition to a nonresident pupil who transfers in under Section 1310f (i.e., bullying-based transfers).

Tuition caps (existing structure remains in 1401)

  • For grades K–6: Tuition shall not exceed 25% more than the operation cost per capita for the district’s K–12 pupil membership.
  • For grades 7–12: Tuition shall not exceed 12.5% more than 115% of the operation cost per capita for the K–12 pupil membership.
  • For districts not maintaining grades above 8th: Tuition shall not exceed 25% more than the operation cost per capita for K–8.
  • Use of operation costs and per-pupil figures from the preceding fiscal year.
  • Per-capita cost exclusions: The calculation must exclude funds for sites, construction, equipment, bonds, or other non-operational costs as determined by the State Board.

Who and What is Affected

  • Affected Parties:
    • Students experiencing bullying in their current district.
    • Parents/guardians seeking an immediate transfer.
    • Receiving school districts in surrounding areas (nonresident districts).
    • Sending (current) districts and their governing bodies.
    • School personnel involved in reporting and intervening in bullying cases.
  • Effects:
    • Creates an enforceable right for bullying-affected students to transfer to surrounding districts.
    • Requires receiving districts to accept transfers when criteria are met, regardless of truancy status.
    • Prohibits charging tuition to students who transfer under 1310f.
    • Establishes potential civil liability for districts or facilitators who fail to comply with 1310f.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Transfer Process:
    • Parent/guardian provides evidence of bullying, documented reports, and evidence of failed interventions.
    • Receiving district must accept transfer upon receipt of qualifying evidence.
    • Academic records must be transmitted by sending district within 7 days after notification of transfer.
  • Legal Recourse:
    • Noncompliant districts or individuals face civil damages claims for failure to transfer as required.
  • Effective Name:
    • The bullying transfer provision is named the “Natalia Moore Law.”

Fiscal Impact

  • The House Fiscal Agency indicates a fiscal impact assessment is in progress. No specific dollar amounts or fiscal findings are provided in the available text.

Effective Date

  • The bill’s status indicates introduction and committee referral in January 2026; as of the provided documents, no enacted date is specified. If enacted, the 1310f changes would become law and govern bullying-based nonresident transfers alongside the amended 1401 tuition provisions.

If you’d like, I can add a side-by-side comparison showing how 1310f changes current transfer rules and how the tuition provisions in 1401 would apply specifically to bullying-initiated transfers.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.