Stratham board approves warrant article designating SMS open-enrollment with 0% in and out; vote 4–1

The Stratham School District school board voted 4–1 to place a warrant article on the annual meeting ballot that would designate Stratham Memorial School as an open-enrollment school with both the percentage of nonresident students it would admit and the percentage of resident pupils permitted to attend schools outside the district set at 0 percent.

The article, read aloud by board member Sophie, follows language presented by district staff and references state law: "Shall the Stratham School District vote to adopt an open enrollment school program, designating Stratham Memorial School as an open enrollment school pursuant to RSA 1:94-d for the purpose of enabling the district to admit 0 nonresident students to SMS with 0% of its resident pupils permitted to attend open enrollment schools located outside of the district," she said.

Why it matters: Board members and public commenters debated whether adopting a 0/0 position protects…