Regulation 0501.90-AR-04 Procedures to Request Out-of-District Transfer for Open Enrollment

Procedures to Request Out-of-District Transfer for Open Enrollment

These procedures shall be followed regarding a request for an Open Enrollment transfer by a parent/guardian for a student residing outside of the West Ada District boundaries:

  • Parent(s)/guardian(s) shall complete the Out-of-District application (Enrollment | West Ada School District), which must be submitted to the receiving school by February 1st for enrollment during the subsequent school year.
    • Per Idaho Code, Out-of-District applications shall be accepted at any time throughout the year.
    • Applications received after February 1st for the subsequent year will be considered based on capacity as outlined in the Administrative Regulation.
    • The application must be complete and include the student’s academic, attendance, and discipline records.
    • Incomplete applications will be canceled and not considered.
  • The receiving school shall review the student’s Out-of-District application and a decision to accept, or decline shall be made within sixty (60) days.
  • If the receiving school approves the Out-of-District, an approval letter will be sent by the receiving campus to the parent(s)/guardian(s) within sixty (60) days of the application.
    • Upon the parent’s/guardian's receipt of this communication, the parent/guardian has a period of one (1) calendar week to notify the receiving school that they are accepting or rejecting the offer of an Out-f- District Transfer.
    • If the receiving school does not receive this notice within one (1) calendar week, the receiving school shall assume the parent/guardian is not accepting the offer of the Out-f-District transfer and the student will not be admitted into the school.
  • If the receiving school denies the Out-of-District transfer request, a denial letter explaining the reason for denial will be sent to the parent/guardian within sixty (60) days of the application.

Transfer Considerations by District

In reviewing an Open Enrollment request, space available considerations must recognize and allow for growth withinthe school’s boundary attendance area during the summer months and school year. For Open Enrollment considerations, the following student/teacher ratios are applicable:

|--------------------------|----| | Kindergarten, Grades 1-2 | 20 | | Grade 3 | 21 | | Grade 4-5 | 27 |

At the secondary level, to allow for growth in the school’s boundary attendance area, core classroom size per grade level is the standard used to determine maximum enrollment for the purpose of Open Enrollment guidelines:

|--------------------------|----| | Grades 6-12 | 27 | | Grades 6-8 Alternative | 16 | | Grades 9-12 Alternative | 16 |

Core is defined as English Language Art (ELA), Math, Science, and Social Studies.

Regarding students who qualify for services under IDEA or other specialized programs, the following guidelines shall be applicable:

|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Special Education Resource Rooms | Case load per teacher of 20 students | | Special Education Extended Resource Rooms | No greater than 10 students per teacher | | Specialized Extended Resource Rooms | No greater than 5 students per room | | Special Education Programs | No greater than 12 students per full-time Special Education Teacher/FTE | | Blended Programs | No greater than 12 students per room | | 18-21 Transition Programs | No greater than 6 per room | | SLP Services | No greater than a caseload of 40 per SLP full-time | | D/ HH Programs | Not available for open enrollment. Placement is addressed only by interlocal contract with Districts. | | Multilingual Learners (ML) | No greater than 20 per full-time ML Teacher/FTE |

Students with disabilities shall receive equitable access to educational opportunities in accordance with applicable laws and district policies. Applications for school placement will be reviewed by the Special Education Department to assess whether the student’s specific needs can be met at the requested school, considering current school capacity and available resources. Determining factors will include, but are not limited to, building capacity, teacher and staff caseloads, availability of appropriate resources, program options, and alternative school locations.

Waiting List

A wait list shall be generated by each school after February 1st for the subsequent school year, with all students who have sought enrollment but were denied due to capacity limitations. Upon parental/guardian request, the student shall be placed on a wait list for the school/grade/program.

In creating the waiting list, requests for an Out-of-District application will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis and will be accepted only on a space available according to the school/grade/program capacities after preference is given to all In-District transfer applications to the requested school.

The wait list shall expire at the end of the school year and will not be given consideration for any opening the subsequent school year. Any student on the wait list who seeks to enroll in the subsequent year in the school/grade/program shall submit the appropriate documentation in a new application.

Should a circumstance arise that an opening exists which the student could fill, the school shall be in contact with the family regarding the opening as to whether the family wishes to accept or decline the seat for their student.

Such discussion may include consideration as to whether a midterm transfer is in the best educational interest of the student and the potential that the placement will or will not be available for the next school year. If a student declines the open placement from the wait list, they shall be removed from the wait list.

In creating the waiting list, requests for an Open Enrollment application to a school outside the student’s attendance area will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis after preference is given to all In-District transfer applications to the requested school.

Denial for Out-of-District Transfer

Reasons for denial of an Out-of-District transfer application, include, but are not limited to:

  • The receiving school does not have space available pursuant to the above referenced student to teacher ratios and/or program capacity limitations.
  • The student has a documented history of chronic absenteeism.
  • The student has a documented history of significant disciplinary issues within a year.
    • Defined as two (2) or more documented suspendable incidents within a year of the date of the student's application.
  • The student commits disciplinary infractions that result in expulsion.

Revocation for Out-of-District Transfer

  • A previously approved Out-of-District transfer may be revoked under the following circumstances.
  • The school in which the student is enrolled exceeds the maximum enrollment of resident students or program due to growth.
  • The student is chronically absent.
  • The student commits repeated, serious disciplinary infractions:
    • Defined as two (2) or more documented suspendable incidents within the year of the approved Out-of- District transfer.
  • The student commits disciplinary infractions that result in expulsion.

Revocation due to student or program capacity or disciplinary infractions, short of expulsion will occur prior to the start of school, at the end of semester or end of the year break. Notice of such revocation may occur in advance of the semester or year-end break to allow the family to make appropriate arrangements.

However, pursuant to Idaho Code 33-1402, the receiving District may not revoke a transfer approval to a school after two (2) consecutive years of attendance. If a transfer approval is revoked under this subsection, the receiving school must offer the student information about other schools within the District that are below maximum enrollment.

Appeal Process for Denial/Revocation

  • If an Out-of-District transfer is denied or revoked after being approved the parent(s)/guardian(s) may appeal the decision to the Superintendent or designee within five (5) school days of receiving the written notice from the school by completing the “Open Enrollment Appeals” form. (Enrollment | West Ada School District)
    • If the denied application reason was due to “over capacity” for the subsequent school year, appeals may be submitted but will not be reviewed until June 1st due to the "over capacity" transfer request wait list.
    • For the subsequent school year, appeals may be submitted based on the other three (3) denial reasons and will be reviewed within thirty (30) days.
  • The Director of Accountability and Support may choose to overturn the denial/revocation or uphold the decision.
  • If the Director of Accountability and Support upholds the denial/revocation decision, the parents/guardians may appeal the decision to the Superintendent within five (5) working days of receipt of written notice from the Director of Accountability and Support.
  • If the Superintendent upholds the denial/revocation decision, the parent(s)/guardian(s) may request an administrative review by the Board of Trustees in writing to the Board's Clerk within five (5) working days of receiving the written notice.
    • The Board of Trustees shall consider the appeal at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
    • The Board of Trustees must issue its decision in writing.
  • Parent(s)/guardian(s) may appeal the Board of Trustees' decision of denial/revocation to the State Board of Education as outlined in Idaho Code 33-1410.