Kids in Classes Act

Key Points

• If a public school receiving Title I federal funds closes for more than 3 days due to a public health emergency or a teacher strike, the school district must pay parents directly so they can cover education costs for their kids.
• Parents could spend the money on specific educational expenses like private school tuition, tutoring, books, online learning tools, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. They must show receipts or return any unused money within 30 days of school reopening.
• The payment amount would be calculated by dividing a school's total Title I funding by the number of students and then by the number of school days, then multiplying by the number of days the school was closed.
• The bill is motivated by research showing school closures disproportionately harm low-income students and students of color, widening educational inequality and reducing future earnings potential.
• School districts would need to set up a "failure to open direct payment plan" before the start of the first school year after the bill becomes law, and try to send payments to parents on each day a school is closed.