The District will participate in the out-of-district open enrollment option described in Idaho Code, Sections
33-1402 through
33-1404, and authorizes the superintendent to enroll out-of-district students. The appropriate Open Enrollment Form must be submitted by February 1. Any applications received after February 1 will be placed on a waiting list.
- The District will generate a prioritized list of applications from out-of-district students and may deny the application for one or more of the following reasons:
- The student was expelled by a previous district.
- The student has a documented history of significant disciplinary issues or history of chronic absenteeism as defined in Policy 5021.10 (I) (1 & 2). Students applying who have a 504 Plan or Individual Education Plan (IEP) may not be denied enrollment or have enrollment revoked if the behavior resulting in disciplinary action or chronic absenteeism is a manifestation of the student’s disability.
- That actual student enrollment caused by out-of-district transfers will not cause the grade level class ratios per teacher full-time equivalent (FTE) in the building to exceed:
rade |
Class Size |
K-3 |
15 |
4-5 |
16 |
6-8 |
17 students per teacher FTE |
9-12 |
18 students per teacher FTE |
Special Education |
6 students per Special Education teacher FTE |
English Language Learners |
18 students per ELL teacher FTE |
- A pupil who applies and is accepted into open enrollment will be assigned to that school for that year only. If enrollment is below the threshold stated in 5021.10 (A) (3) above and the student meets the eligibility requirements, they only need to complete an Intent to Return form prior to February 1st for the next school year. If they are in the school or district for two consecutive years, they will be considered a permanent placement per Idaho Code 33-1402 (7).
- The process outlined in this policy is required for admission to any school within the District and shall be initiated again when a change in grade warrants a change in school – such as when the student wishes to continue open enrollment into middle school or high school.
- Applications for open enrollment along with the student’s cumulative record, including attendance and discipline records, must be submitted to the Superintendent or superintendent’s designee by February 1 for the upcoming school year.
- Open enrollment applications received after February 1 will be placed on a waiting list for potential consideration until December 31st of the current year, by date of application within their qualifying grouping as identified in 5022.00 (A) (4) and enrolled when openings occur. Late application waiting list students who are not placed must reapply to be eligible for the following year.
- A student who applies and is accepted as a non-resident student in the district but fails to attend the district, will need to submit a new open enrollment application. Assignments of out-of-district students to a school of choice will be done based on parent/guardian request. Class assignment within the selected school is based on equalization of class loads throughout the building. If the desired school’s classes are full at the grade level requested, the parent/guardian will be notified if there are any openings in other schools within the District.
- Eligibility rules for participating in extracurricular activities shall apply to out-of- district students who request to attend the District’s high school. A student who is considering submitting an open enrollment application to the District and who anticipates participating in a sport governed by the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) must review IHSAA rules prior to submitting their open enrollment application. Certain school transfers could lead to a student being ineligible to play at the varsity level for one year.
- Out-of-district students are responsible for their own transportation.
- Open enrollment students are required to comply with all District policies. Unacceptable behaviors by a student or false or misleading information on their open enrollment application are grounds for the District to remove an out-of-district open enrollment student at any time. The District may revoke a student’s enrollment if one or more of the following occurs:
- The student is considered chronically absent which is defined as less than 90% attendance.
- The student commits repeated, serious disciplinary infractions resulting in two (2) or more suspensions.
- The student has been expelled.
- The number of resident students exceeds the capacity limits set in 5022.00 (A) (3). If a student’s enrollment is revoked for this reason, the District shall offer information about other district schools that may have openings.
- A student’s open enrollment cannot be revoked on these grounds if a student has attended the receiving school for more than two consecutive school years.