JFB
OPEN  ENROLLMENT

General

In accordance with state law, the District has established an open-enrollment policy and implemented an open-enrollment program without charging tuition for nonresident students and resident transfer students to enroll resident transfer students and nonresident students in District schools. 

For the purposes of this policy, the following definintions apply:

A.  A nonresident student is a state resident who resides outside of the District's boundaries but who is enrolled in or seeks to enroll in the District.

B.  A resident student is a state resident who resides within the attendance area of a District school.

C.  A resident transfer student is a state resident who resides in the District's boundaries but who is enrolled or seeks to enroll in a District school outside of the student's attendance area.

Open-Enrollment  Information

The Superintendent or Superintendent's designee shall prepare information, in both English and Spanish, concerning the District's open enrollment policy, application process, and applicable procedures.  

This information shall be easily accessible from the home page of each school, and made available to the public upon request.  Each school website will be updated to show the school's capacity and whether it is currently accepting open enrollment students, by grade level and specialized program (if applicable), at least once every twelve weeks unless there are no changes to report.  Each school will accept students throughout the year as capacity allows and seats become available.

Neither enrollment nor admission will be limited based upon 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.

H.  Academic performance.

I.  Medical history.

Enrollment  Criteria

The Superintendent or Superintendent's designee shall determine if nonresident students and resident transfer students will be enrolled without tuition in accordance with the following criteria:

A.  The school in which the student seeks to enroll has the capacity to serve the student without adversely impacting educational opportunities for resident students attending their resident school.  Factors to be considered in making this determination include, but are not limited to, the following:

1.  Physical capacity of the school building and classrooms.

2.  Availability of staff members (i.e., administrators, teachers, other certificated employees, and related service providers).

3.  Capacity in relevant special programs.

4.  Availability of other resources.

B.  The student's prior status in the educational and juvenile court systems, including: 

1.  Whether the student has been expelled by another school or is in the process of being expelled by any other school.

2.  Whether the student is in compliance with any conditions imposed by a juvenile court.

Failure to disclose the above on the District's open-enrollment application will result in revocation of the student's acceptance of open enrollment.

A.  The student's agreement to abide by the rules and regulations of the school and the District if enrolled, as set forth on the open-enrollment application.

B.  The student's enrollment does not violate the provisions of a court order or agreement of desegregation in the student's resident district.

C.  Acceptance is on a year-by-year basis and subject to review each year.

Enrollment  Priority  Groups

The District shall give enrollment preference to and reserve capacity for resident students, students returning tothe same school from the prior year, and siblings of student already enrolled.

The District will give enrollment priority to applicants in the following order, as long as their enrollment can be accomplished in accordance with the District's enrollment criteria:

A.  Children of District employees.

B.  Resident transfer students.

C.  Nonresident students.

Application and Selection Procedures:

A.  The student's parent/guardian completes the open-enrollment application and submits it to the school in which the student seeks to enroll or the District administrative offices.

B.  Applications may be submitted after December 1st for the following school year.

C.  Applications for initial open-enrollment acceptance will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis, within each enrollment priority group.  

D.  Names of applicants who cannot be accommodated will be placed on a waiting list established for each enrollment priority group.  Applicants who are denied access due to capacity shall be informed that they are on a wait list and of the details regarding the District's equitable selection process of applicants from the wait list.

E.  The District will determine whether the student's admission would be in conformity with its enrollment criteria.

Transportation  Provisions

The District does not transport open-enrollment students, except the District will provide transportation limited to no more than thirty (30) miles each way to and from the school of attendance or to and from a pickup point on a regular transportation route or for the total miles traveled each day to an adjacent district for nonresident students with disabilities whose individualized education programs (IEPs) specify that transportation is a necessary related service.

Adopted:  April 5, 2022

LEGAL REF.:
A.R.S.
8-371
15-341
15-764
15-797
15-816 et seq.
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