Panel backs screening-based exception to preschool age cutoff in testimony on House Bill 1497

House Bill 1497 was presented to the House Education Committee to allow local 4‑year‑old program operators to admit children born after the existing Aug. 1 cutoff if the child passes a developmental screening and the local program approves enrollment; the bill would allow operator discretion to extend eligibility through Dec. 1 for screened children, Representative Roger Mackey said.

Amy Copas, executive director of the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders, told the committee the proposal mirrors long‑standing flexibility in kindergarten law: if a child born after the statutory cutoff demonstrates developmental readiness by screening, the local program may enroll the child. Copas said the bill should preserve operator…