JFBOPEN ENROLLMENT
JFBIntroduction
Open enrollment enables Arizona students to attend public schools outside their attendance area. 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. Open enrollment applications are available on-line.
Student Definitions:
● Nonresident student is a student who resides outside of the District's boundaries who seeks to enroll in the District.
● Resident transfer student is a student who resides in the District who seeks to enroll in a school outside of the student's attendance area.
Student Definitions:
● Nonresident student is a student who resides outside of the District's boundaries who seeks to enroll in the District.
● Resident transfer student is a student who resides in the District who seeks to enroll in a school outside of the student's attendance area.
Admission Criteria
The District shall determine if nonresident students and resident transfer students will be admitted in accordance with the following criteria:
● 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:
■ Physical capacity of the school building and classrooms. Excess capacity for open enrollment is estimated on or before date to be determined. If no excess capacity exists, then applicants will be placed on a waiting list. If excess capacity is anticipated, the applications will be reviewed.
■ Availability of staff members to service students at each site.
■ Capacity in relevant special programs.
■ Availability of other resources.
● The student's prior status in the educational system, including:
■ Whether the student is in compliance with a condition of disciplinary action imposed by any other school or school district or who is not in compliance with a condition of disciplinary action imposed by any other school or school district. Acceptance for enrollment may be revoked upon finding the existence of any of these conditions.
● A school district may refuse to admit any pupil who has been expelled from another educational institution or who is in the process of being expelled from another educational institution.
Failure to disclose the above information on the Open Enrollment application may result in revocation of the student's acceptance for open enrollment.
● The student's admission does not violate the provisions of a court order or agreement of desegregation in the student's resident district.
● Acceptance is on a year-by-year basis and subject to re-application and review each year.
Enrollment Priority Groups
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 admission criteria:
1. Students who currently attend the school and their siblings.
2. Children of employees.
3. Children who are in foster care or who meet the definition of unaccompanied youth prescribed in the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
4. Resident transfer students.
5. Nonresident students.
Application Procedures for Schools
that have Attendance Boundaries
The student's parent/guardian who desires to open enroll a student must complete the Open Enrollment application and submit online. Acceptance is on a year-by-year basis and subject to re-application and review each year.
Applications will be accepted beginning December 1. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis within each enrollment priority group. Names of applicants that cannot be admitted will be placed on a waiting list established for each enrollment priority group.
The District will determine whether the student's admission would be in conformity with its admission criteria. To ensure notification of admission status by March 1, the open enrollment application must be submitted by January 26. If an open enrollment application is submitted after January 26, parents/guardians may not be informed of admission status until after school begins.
Application Procedures for Schools that
do not have Attendance Boundaries
The District may establish schools that do not have attendance boundaries. Student attendance for such schools shall be based upon open enrollment applications.
Schools without attendance boundaries may exempt from the application process described below students who are in enrollment Priority Group 1 (resident transfer students who currently attend the school and their siblings), and enrollment Priority Group 3 (children who are in foster care or who meet the definition of unaccompanied youth prescribed in the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act).
For students in enrollment priority groups other than one (1) and three (3) who are initially applying to a school without attendance boundaries, the application process shall be as follows:
Selection Process: The student's parent/guardian completes the Open Enrollment application and submits it to the front office. Applications will be accepted beginning December 1 through January 26. Should December 1 fall on a non-school day, applications will be accepted starting the next school day. Should January 26 fall on a non-school day, the deadline will be the last school day prior to January 26. The school will use a random selection process (lottery) to select students within each enrollment priority group. Names of applicants not selected for enrollment will be placed on a waiting list established for each enrollment priority group as per the lottery procedures described below. The District will determine whether the student's admission would be in conformity with its admission criteria. Notification of open enrollment status will be made by March 1 for all applications received prior to January 26.
Selection Procedure: The principal, attendance clerk, and a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) board member will be conducting the lottery. The applicants will be divided by priority categories and have their names placed on separate pieces of paper and the papers placed in a container. Names will be drawn by priority categories and numbered in the order in which they are drawn. All applications properly submitted will be drawn and numbered for enrollment consideration. The applicants whose names are selected in order, up to the capacity limitations established, shall be permitted to enroll in the school. All others drawn will be placed on a waiting list with priority in accord with the lowest number.
Late applications: Applications for open enrollment received after the January 26 deadline will be dated, filed, and considered only after students whose applications were submitted by the deadline have had an opportunity to enroll, regardless of enrollment priority groups. Applications received after January 26 will be considered on a first come, first served basis.
Transportation
The District does not transport open-enrollment students except as otherwise required by state or federal law.
Compliance with Rules
Once students are accepted and attending the school of choice, they must comply with school rules. Those rules and regulations may include standards of academic effort, conduct, attendance, or family volunteer requirements (non-attendance boundary schools.) Failure to comply with school rules is a breach of agreement and a cause for open enrollment revocation. Before revocation for breach of agreement, a hearing with the student, parent/guardian and other appropriate persons will be conducted. The principal explains the alleged conduct that violates the rules or regulations. Parents/Guardians are given an opportunity to respond. After the hearing, the hearing officer decides if revocation of open enrollment status is appropriate.
Adopted: December 11, 2018
LEGAL REF.:
A.R.S.
8-371
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