Ohio state representatives propose bill to allow military families more options for school enrollment

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Ohio State Representatives Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Brian Lampton (R-Beavercreek) have proposed new legislation to give military parents more time to enroll their children in schools upon moving to Ohio.

“The Department of Defense reports about 185,000 military children move between schools annually,” Rep. Lampton explained.

Parents of those children often struggle to get them enrolled on time, putting them behind their peers due to the schedule on which families receive location assignments. 

“A lot of times military families will get their orders in the spring,” said Rep. White. “And depending on if they’re coming from out of the country or from out of state, the timing for that will vary. They know they’re coming, but they just don’t have the opportunity to really get some of the stressors out of the way, because we don’t have the ability to allow them to enroll in a district until they reside there.”

If passed, the new bill will allow parents to sign their children up for school virtually, before they have a physical address in Ohio.

“Those families move every three or four year,” said Lampton. “This way, the families can register early and identify which district they want to attend, and be ready to go when they get there.”

Representative White added, “Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, as the largest single site employer in Ohio, attracts many families, and our region will be better equipped to support and welcome and encourage those families by having this legislation in place.”

While the bill was just proposed on Thursday, White and Lampton are hoping the bill is passed into law this summer, ahead of this upcoming school year.