FORT MILL, S.C. — Fort Mill School District leaders are developing a local policy to implement a new school choice law that will allow parents to transfer students into the district of their choice.
Families will be able to request these interdistrict transfers as early as next spring for the 2027-28 school year.
The state law requires school districts across South Carolina to accept student transfers from outside their boundaries if they have open space.
School leaders in Fort Mill met this week to discuss the specific guidelines that will govern these transfers and ensure the district remains in compliance with the new legislation.
Joe Burke serves as the spokesman for Fort Mill Schools. He explained that the application process is expected to begin during the current school year.
“So next school year, beginning in August, which means that the processes for applications and all this are going to open sometime next spring in the next semester during this school year,” Burke said.
The district is currently tailoring its rules to fit a template provided by state officials. Burke noted that the local administration is using a state-provided model to build its specific framework.
“We’ve received the model policy and then school districts need to create their policies based on the model policy moving forward,” Burke said.
Under the proposed policy, students and parents must meet specific criteria to be eligible for a transfer. Applicants must be in good standing regarding attendance and discipline at their current schools.
Additionally, parents are responsible for providing transportation and must pay a required transfer fee.
The ability to transfer is also dependent on available classroom space. The law does not require the district to expand its existing capacity or build new facilities to accommodate out-of-district students.
Burke acknowledged that balancing these requirements presents new hurdles for administrators.
“There’s still some challenges and concerns, but I think the district is trying to work up the best way possible to manage it moving forward and staying in compliance with the law,” Burke said.
Local parents are monitoring the development of these policies to see how the changes will affect the school system. James Grundler is a parent in the district who is watching the process closely.
“So we don’t really know what the ramifications are gonna be, but it’ll be interesting to see, you know, for sure,” Grundler said.
The school board will continue to discuss the proposed policy in future meetings. A vote on the final policy will be held at a later meeting.
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
