New law allows Fort Benning children to attend any MCSD school — well, almost

Thanks to a new state law, children of military service members who live on Fort Benning will be allowed, effective July 1, to attend any Columbus public school if space is available, the Muscogee County School District announced Wednesday.

MCSD is complying with Georgia House Bill 224, which the state legislature passed during the 2017 session. HB 224 amended the state’s Quality Basic Education Act. The new subsection declares, “Beginning in school year 2017-2018, a military student in this state shall be allowed to attend any public school that is located within the school system in which the military or off-base military housing in which the student resides is located, provided space is available for additional enrollment.”

Parents or guardians transferring their children under HB 224 are responsible for their transportation to and from school because, the new law says.

Five MCSD schools aren’t accepting transfers under HB 224: Clubview Elementary School because it is a charter school, Dorothy Height Elementary School because it doesn’t have space for additional students, and Britt David Magnet Academy, Columbus High School and Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts, because they are total magnet schools and require all students to apply, MCSD communications director Valerie Fuller told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Applications for Fort Benning students to transfer to MCSD are available at the Muscogee County Public Education Center, 2960 Macon Road. HB 224 transfers will be granted through a lottery, according to MCSD’s news release, and parents or guardians will be notified by phone or email whether their request is approved or denied. No appeals will be allowed, the news release says.

The following documents are required at registration:

▪ Child’s birth certificate.

▪ Child’s Social Security Card.

▪ Withdrawal form or last report card from child’s previous school.

▪ Two proofs of address (lease, mortgage or property tax bill and a current utility bill, which states the name and service address).

If the child’s parent or guardian lives with someone else, the owner of the child’s residence must come with the parent or guardian and provide the required proofs of address and photo identification, according to the news release. Both parties are required to complete an affidavit, which must be signed and notarized at registration, the news release says.

If the child has special needs, the parent or guardian should bring the Individual Education Plan, eligibility verification and psychological evaluation report, according to the news release.

For more information, call the MCSD Central Registration Office at 706-748-3217.

This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 4:40 PM with the headline "New law allows Fort Benning children to attend any MCSD school — well, almost."