JFBOPEN ENROLLMENT
JFBOpen enrollment enables Arizona students to choose public schools that are outside of the attendance boundary for their residence. The Governing Board establishes an open enrollment policy to allow open enrollment in its schools to maximize the opportunity for students to attend a school that best fits their needs.
The District has an open-enrollment program as set forth in A.R.S. 15-816 and A.R.S. 15-816.01 et seq. The open enrollment program described in this policy shall be placed on the District website and made available to the public on request.
The policies will be easily accessible from the home page on each school's website and will be available in English and Spanish or in any other language used by a majority of the populations served by the school or District.
No tuition shall be charged for open enrollment, except as authorized by applicable provisions of A.R.S. 15-764, 15-797, 15-823, 15-824, and 15-825.
The District will update on each school's website the school's capacity and whether the school is currently accepting open enrollment students, by grade level, at least once every twelve (12) weeks unless there are no changes to report for the individual school.
If a school has any other separate capacity by specialized program, the information required pursuant to shall also be posted by specialized program.
Schools shall accept students throughout the school year as capacity allows. Students who are denied access due to capacity shall be informed that they are on a wait list and of the details regarding the process prescribed in A.R.S. 15-816.01(E).
Students shall be selected as seats become available.
The District shall enroll at any time any resident student who applies for enrollment to the District.
The District shall give enrollment preference to and reserve capacity for all of the following:
A. Resident students.
B. Students returning to the school from the prior year.
C. Siblings of students already enrolled.
The District may give enrollment preference to children who:
A. Are in foster care.
B. Meet the definition of unaccompanied youth prescribed in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77; 101 Stat. 482; 42 United States Code Section 11434a).
C. Attend a school that is closing.
D. Are children of a member of the armed forces of the United States who either is on active duty or was killed in the line of duty.
If a school remains open as part of a boundary change and capacity is available, students assigned to a new attendance area may stay enrolled at their current school.
The District may give enrollment preference to and reserve capacity for all of the following:
A. Students who are children of persons who are employed by or at a school in the District.
B. Resident transfer students and their siblings.
C. Students who meet additional criteria established and published by the Governing Board.
If remaining capacity at a school, as determined by the Governing Board, is insufficient to enroll all students who submit a timely request, the school or District shall select students through an equitable selection process such as a lottery.
Except as provided in A.R.S. 15-816.01, a school may not limit admission based on any of the following:
A. Ethnicity or race.
B. National origin.
C. Sex.
D. Income level.
E. Disability.
F. Proficiency in the English language.
G. Athletic ability.
Open Enrollment Student
Definitions
Generally, a student must reside in the boundaries of a school in the District in order to attend that school. The District has two (2) types of open enrollment students:
A. A "Non-resident student" is a student who resides in the state of Arizona, is not a District resident, and who us enrolled or is seeking to enroll in the District.
B. A "Resident transfer student" is a student who resides in the District and seeks to enroll in a school that is within the District but is outside of the attendance area of the student’s residence.
Enrollment Options
District resident students may enroll in another school district or in another school within this District. Resident transfer students and nonresident students may enroll in schools within this District, subject to the procedures that follow.
Information and Application
The Superintendent shall prepare a written information packet concerning the District's application process, standards for acceptance or rejection, and policies, regulations, and procedures for open enrollment. The information will be made available on the district website.
The information shall include the enrollment application form and shall advise applicants that they must submit enrollment applications on or before March 15th of each year to be considered for enrollment during the following school year.
Capacity
Annually, the Superintendent shall prepare an open enrollment capacity projection report for the Governing Board for the upcoming school year.
The Superintendent shall annually estimate how much excess capacity may exist to accept transfer students. The estimate of excess capacity shall be made for each school and grade level and shall take into consideration.
A. District resident students, including those issued certificates of educational convenience and those required to be admitted by statute.
B. Resident transfer students who were enrolled in the school the previous year.
C. Nonresident pupils who were enrolled in the school the previous year.
D. The enrollment of eligible children of persons who are employed by the District.
E. Capacity in the grade level and span according to Governing Board approved class size targets by grade for general education and special programs.
F. Physical capacity of the school buildings and classroom.
G. Availability of staff members to service students at each site.
If it is determined that there is capacity for open enrollment students to roll up to the next grade level, then, the parent or guardian of the continuing open enrollment students shall complete an application and the student shall be accepted for continued enrollment for the next academic year. If there is not capacity, then open enrollment students will participate in the selection process per the following guidelines.
The Governing Board shall make the final determination of excess capacity. The excess-capacity estimates shall be made available to the public in January of each year.
Enrollment Priorities
If the Governing Board has determined that there is excess capacity to enroll additional students, such students shall be selected on the basis of designated priority categories from the pool of students:
A. Who have properly completed and submitted applications; and
B. Who meet administration standards.
The District shall give enrollment priority to applicants as specified below and in the District regulation.
Enrollment priorities and procedures for selection shall be in the order and in accordance with the following:
A. Enrollment preference shall be given to, and capacity reserved for, resident transfer students and non-resident students who were enrolled in the school the previous year and any sibling who would be enrolled concurrently with such students. If capacity is not sufficient to enroll all of the students, they shall be selected through first-come, first-served basis adopted by regulations of the Superintendent.
B. Enrollment preference may be given to, and capacity reserved for, children of persons who are employed by or at a school in the District, resident transfer students and their siblings and students who meet additional criteria established and published by the Governing Board.
C. Enrollment preferences may be given to children who are in foster care or who meet the definition of unaccompanied youth prescribed in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Admission Standards
The District may refuse to admit any student who has been expelled from another educational institution or who is in the process of being expelled from another educational institution.
Notification
The District shall notify the emancipated student, parent, or legal guardian in writing by April 1st whether the applicant has been accepted, placed on a waiting list pending the availability of capacity, or rejected. The District shall also notify the resident school district of an applicant's acceptance or placement on a waiting list. If the applicant is placed on a waiting list, the notification shall inform the emancipated student, parent, or legal guardian of the date when it will be determined whether there is capacity for additional enrollment in a school. If the student's application is rejected, the reason for the rejection shall be stated in the notification.
As provided by A.R.S. 15-816.07, the District and its employees are immune from civil liability for decisions relative to the acceptance or rejection of the enrollment of a nonresident student when the decisions are based on good faith application of this policy and the applicable statutory requirements and standards.
Open Enrollment Obligations and Expectations:
A. When a student is admitted through open enrollment, the applicant and parent or guardian must agree to abide by District policies regarding student conduct and expectations.
B. Acceptance through open enrollment is only for one (1) year, and a renewal application must be submitted for each open enrollment student for each year.
C. Failure to disclose relevant information on the open enrollment application may result in the denial or revocation of the student's acceptance for open enrollment.
Transportation of Students Admitted
Through Open Enrollment
The District does not transport non-resident students or resident transfer students admitted through the open enrollment process except as otherwise required by state or federal law or as specified in District regulation.
Exception
Should there be excess capacity remaining for which no applications were submitted by the date established, the Superintendent, upon approval by the Governing Board, shall authorize additional enrollment of nonresident students:
A. Up to the target class size or up to "Target" class size or up to plus two (+2) with principal and teacher approval.
B. On the basis of the order of the completed applications submitted after the notification date established in this policy.
C. Without regard to enrollment preference, except for employee children.
D. As long as admission standards are met.
Regulation
The Superintendent shall develop and implement an administrative regulation and any other documents needed to administer the District's open enrollment program.
Adopted: September 16, 2024
LEGAL REF.:
A.R.S.
8-371
15-341
15-764
15-797
15-816 et seq.
15-816.01
15-823
15-824
15-825
15-841
15-922
42 U.S.C. 11301, McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001,
as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015
CROSS REF.:
EEAA - Walkers and Riders
IIB - Class Size
JF - Student Admissions
JFAA - Admission of Resident Students
JFAB - Admission of Nonresident Students
JFABD - Admission of Homeless Students
JFABDA - Admission of Students in Foster Care
JG - Assignment of Students to Classes and Grade Levels