(a) (1) An application requesting a transfer pursuant to this article shall be submitted by the parent of a pupil to the school district of choice before January 1 of the school year preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting to be transferred. This application deadline may be waived upon agreement of the school district of residence of the pupil and the school district of choice.

(2) The application deadline specified in paragraph (1) does not apply to an application requesting a transfer if the parent of the pupil with whom the pupil resides is enlisted in the military and was relocated by the military less than 90 days before submitting the application.

(b) The application may be submitted on a form provided for this purpose by the department and may request enrollment of the pupil in a specific school or program of the school district of choice.

(c) (1) No later than February 15 of the school year preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting to be transferred, the governing board of the school district of choice shall notify the parent in writing whether the application has been provisionally accepted or rejected or of the placement of the pupil on a waiting list. The governing board of the school district of choice may fill vacancies from the waiting list until May 1 preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting to be transferred. No pupils shall be accepted at a school district of choice after May 1 preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting to be transferred.

(2) If the application is rejected, the governing board of the school district of choice shall include in the written notification to the parent that the number of pupils applying to transfer exceeded the capacity of the school district of choice and that the pupil was not selected during the random drawing. The determination shall be accurately recorded in the minutes of the board meeting in which the determination was made.

(3) If a pupil is accepted into a school district of choice, the school district of choice shall notify the school district of residence of the pupil no later than February 15 of the school year preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting to be transferred. On or before February 15, the school district of choice shall provide the school district of residence the number of pupils accepted, by school and grade level, by the school district of choice. On or before May 2, the school district of choice shall provide the school district of residence with the final number of pupils enrolled, by school, in the school district of choice, the grade levels of the pupils, and the names of the pupils.

(4) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the governing board of a school district of choice shall, not later than 90 days after receipt of an application submitted according to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), make a final acceptance or rejection of that application. A pupil may enroll in a school in the school district of choice immediately upon his or her acceptance.

(B) If an application submitted according to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) is submitted less than 90 days before the beginning of the school year for which the pupil seeks to be transferred, the governing board of the school district of choice shall accept or deny the application before the commencement of the school year. A pupil may enroll in a school in the school district of choice immediately upon his or her acceptance.

(d) Final acceptance of the transfer is applicable for one school year and will be renewed automatically each year unless the school district of choice through the adoption of a resolution elects to no longer accept any transfer pupils pursuant to this article. However, if a school district of choice elects to no longer accept pupils under this article, high school pupils admitted under this article may continue to attend the same school in the school district of choice until they graduate from high school.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 15, Sec. 36. (AB 99) Effective June 27, 2017. Inoperative July 1, 2023. Repealed as of January 1, 2024, pursuant to Section 48315.)