This bill amends RCW 28A.225.216 to change school district residency and enrollment procedures for children of military families. It provides that a child who relocates to Washington because a parent is on active duty, has been called to active duty or notified of an impending call or order to active duty, and whose parent is transferred to or has notice of a pending transfer to a military installation in Washington or a bordering state, or is relocating due to a military exigency, meets district residency requirements for enrollment. A parent must give the district official military orders or other military documentation confirming the directed move and must provide proof of the child's residence in the district within 90 calendar days. Acceptable residence proofs include temporary lodging while obtaining permanent housing, a purchase or lease or signed purchase/sale or lease agreement, and federal or off-base military housing. School districts must accept conditional enrollment applications (including for specific schools or programs) prior to the child's arrival and accept applications by reasonable means, including electronically or by mail; the district finalizes enrollment upon verifying the required documentation and residence proof. For children who had an individualized education program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan from another state, the receiving district must take steps to accept transfer of educational records and prior evaluations, provide appropriate services and accommodations without unreasonable delay (including services comparable to the prior IEP or 504 plan), and, if an evaluation is determined necessary, conduct it as expeditiously as practicable consistent with federal and state law. A nonresident district is not required to provide transportation to and from the resident district for a military child unless otherwise required by state or federal law. This is an amendment to existing law that makes procedural changes to enrollment, residency verification, and continuity of special education/504 services for children of military families; it does not create new crimes or penalties. The amendment relies on definitions in RCW 28A.705.010 (for terms such as "active duty," "children of military families," and "military installation"), but those definitions and any related implementing guidance or procedures outside this section are not included in the extracted text.

If passed, military families who move because a parent is on active duty, being transferred, or facing a military exigency will be able to apply and be conditionally enrolled in Washington school districts before they arrive, using electronic or mailed applications, as long as they provide official military orders and then show proof of a local residence within 90 days. School districts will be required to complete enrollment once those documents are verified, accept transfer of special education or 504 records, and begin comparable services quickly while arranging any needed evaluations; nonresident districts are not obligated to provide transportation back to the family’s previous district. The people most affected are military families and school district enrollment and special education staff. Families gain clearer, faster access to schools and programs when relocating, but must meet documentation and the 90-day residence deadline. Districts will need to change intake processes to accept conditional, remote applications, verify military orders and residences, and be prepared to deliver or arrange comparable special education and 504 services promptly, which could increase administrative workload and short-term service demands. The bill cites definitions from another statute and uses terms like “reasonable steps” and “unreasonable delay,” so there is some uncertainty about exact proof standards and timelines for evaluations that the bill text here does not define.