COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Approximately 5,000 fewer students will enroll in Ohio kindergartens next year thanks to a new law standardizing kindergarten enrollment.
Under current law, students can enroll in kindergarten if they are age 5 by either Sept. 30 or Aug. 1, with school districts permitted to pick their enrollment dates. House Bill 114, signed into law on Dec. 19, requires all districts to admit any child who is 5 years old by the first day of school, removing enrollments of varying ages.
State legislators predict the change will lead to 5,000 fewer kindergarteners statewide next school year, as no 4-year-olds will be able to enroll. The law does offer one variation: if a child is 6 on the first day of school and has not yet completed first grade, they are also eligible for kindergarten enrollment.
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House Bill 114 was introduced by state Representatives Adam Bird (R-Lima) and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta). The bill originally omitted a referral process for 4-year-olds with advanced abilities, but updated versions of the bill reinstated the program. The law is still expected to have thousands fewer 4-year-olds admitted each year, and Ritter said the uniformity will help students…