DES MOINES, Iowa - A new Iowa law lets parents remove their kids from schools with diversity plans and enroll them in other schools.
Governor Kim Reynolds signed the law Monday which now allows higher income families to move their kids to districts of their choice.
It's supported by Republicans as part of an effort to offer school choice, while many Democrats say districts that lose students will lose funding.
Five school districts in Iowa could lose students as a result of the new law - Davenport, Des Moines, Postville, Waterloo and West Liberty.
A non partisan analysis by a legislative group shows the Des Moines district could lose 361 students resulting in a funding loss of roughly $2.7 million.
Iowa law previously allowed those districts to deny transfer requests because their diversity plans called for them to balance diversity based on socioeconomic status. The balance has been determined by the number of students in the free or reduced-price lunch program. The West Liberty and Postville districts have also used English language status of students to determine the balance.
The new law does away with a March 1st deadline for open enrollment and allows families to enroll their kids in other schools for the upcoming school year this fall.
Another bill passed by the Republican controlled legislature this year makes it easier to establish charter schools by letting groups bypass local authority and seek approval from the state.
That measure not yet been signed by Governor Reynolds. She signed 17 bills Monday, including the measure to allow open enrollment.