School District of Choice Program
The Superintendent or designee shall communicate with parents/guardians regarding transfer opportunities under the school district of choice program. Communications sent to parents/guardians shall be available in all languages for which translations are required pursuant to Education Code 48985, shall be factually accurate, and shall not target particular neighborhoods or individual parents/guardians on the basis of a child's actual or perceived academic or athletic skill or any other personal characteristic. (Education Code 48301, 48980)
The Superintendent or designee shall also make public announcements regarding district schools, programs, policies, and procedures, including transportation options if applicable, during the enrollment period. (Education Code 48312)
The Superintendent or designee may hold informational meetings on the district's current educational programs, so that parents/guardians can provide input to the district on methods to improve current programs and make informed decisions regarding their children's education. (Education Code 48302)
The process for student transfers into the district under the school district of choice program, including, but not limited to, any applicable form, the timeline for a transfer, and an explanation of the selection process, shall be posted on the district's web site. (Education Code 48301)
(cf. 1113 - District and School Web Sites)
Parents/guardians shall submit applications for interdistrict attendance to the district office before January 1 of the school year preceding the school year for which the student is requesting to be transferred. The application deadline may be waived upon agreement between the district and the student's district of residence. (Education Code 48308)
The application deadline shall not apply to an application requesting a transfer if the parent/guardian with whom the student resides is enlisted in the military and was relocated by the military within 90 days prior to submitting the application. (Education Code 48308)
(cf. 6173.2 - Education of Children of Military Families)
Any existing entrance criteria for specialized schools or programs shall be uniformly applied to all applicants. (Education Code 48305)
The district may deny a transfer into the district under the school district of choice program if the transfer would require the district to create a new program to serve that student, except that the district shall not reject the transfer of a student with disabilities or an English learner. (Education Code 48303)
Whenever the number of transfer applications exceeds the number of interdistrict transfers that may be accepted as annually determined by the Board of Trustees, students accepted for transfer shall be selected by a random drawing held in public at a regularly scheduled Board meeting before February 15 of the school year preceding the school year for which the transfer is sought. (Education Code 48301)
Priority for transfer under the school district of choice program shall be granted as follows: (Education Code 48306)
1. First priority shall be given to siblings of students already in attendance in the district.
2. Second priority shall be given to students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
(cf. 3553 - Free and Reduced Price Meals)
3. Third priority shall be given to children of military personnel.
No later than February 15 of the school year preceding the school year for which the student is requesting to be transferred, the Superintendent or designee shall notify the parent/guardian in writing whether the application has been provisionally accepted or rejected or of the student's position on any waiting list. (Education Code 48308)
If a student's application for transfer is accepted, the Superintendent or designee shall so notify the student's district of residence no later than February 15 of the school year preceding the school year for which the student is requesting to be transferred. (Education Code 48308)
The number of students accepted for transfer into the district, by school and grade level, shall be reported to the district of residence on or before February 15. (Education Code 48308)
If a student's application is denied, the Superintendent or designee shall notify the student's parents/guardians that the number of students requesting to transfer exceeded the district's capacity and that the student was not selected during the random drawing. Such determination shall be accurately recorded in the minutes of the Board meeting at which the determination was made. (Education Code 48308)
(cf. 9324 - Minutes and Recordings)
For a student whose parent/guardian was relocated by the military less than 90 days prior to the submission of the application, the district shall make a final decision to accept or reject the application within 90 days of its receipt. If the student's application has been submitted less than 90 days prior to the beginning of the school year, then the district shall accept or deny the application before the school year begins. Upon acceptance, the student may immediately enroll in a district school. (Education Code 48308)
Vacancies may be filled from the waiting list until May 1 of the school year preceding the school year for which students are requesting to be transferred. (Education Code 48308)
The final number of students enrolled in the district through the school district of choice program, by school and grade level, along with the names of the students, shall be reported to the district of residence on or before May 2. (Education Code 48308)
Students admitted through the school district of choice program are deemed to have fulfilled district residency requirements pursuant to Education Code 48204. (Education Code 48301)
(cf. 5111.1 - District Residency)
(cf. 5116.1 - Intradistrict Open Enrollment)
Final acceptance of the transfer is applicable for one school year and shall be renewed automatically each year unless the Board, by adoption of a resolution, withdraws from participation in the program and no longer accepts transfer students from other districts. (Education Code 48308)
Even if the district withdraws from participation in the program, students who attended or received a notice of acceptance into the district before the Board's resolution of withdrawal shall be permitted to attend school in the district, and admitted high school students may continue attending school in the district until they graduate from high school. (Education Code 48307, 48308)
The district may accept any completed coursework, attendance, and other academic progress credited to an accepted student by any district(s) the student has previously attended and may grant academic standing to the student based upon the district's evaluation of the student's academic progress. (Education Code 48309)
(cf. 6146.3 - Reciprocity of Academic Credit)
The district may revoke a student's enrollment if the student is recommended for expulsion pursuant to Education Code 48918. (Education Code 48309)
Transfers Out of the District
A student whose parent/guardian is in active military duty shall not be prohibited from transferring out of the district, provided the school district of proposed enrollment approves the application for transfer. (Education Code 46600, 48307)
If the district is unable to provide an intradistrict transfer to a student who is a victim of an act of bullying, as defined in Education Code 46600, the district shall not prohibit the student from transferring out of the district if the district of proposed enrollment approves the application for transfer. (Education Code 46600)
The district may limit transfers out of the district to a school district of choice under any of the following circumstances: (Education Code 48307)
1. The number of student transfers out of the district to a school district of choice has reached the limit specified in Education Code 48307 based on the district's average daily attendance.
2. The County Superintendent of Schools has given the district a negative budget certification or has determined that the district will not meet the state's standards and criteria for fiscal stability in the subsequent fiscal year exclusively as a result of student transfers from this district to a school district of choice.
(cf. 3100 - Budget)
3. The Board determines that the transfer would negatively impact any of the following: (Education Code 48307)
a. A court-ordered desegregation plan
b. A voluntary desegregation plan of the district, consistent with the California Constitution, Article 1, Section 31
c. The racial and ethnic balance of the district, consistent with the California Constitution, Article 1, Section 31
Regulation BASS LAKE JOINT UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
approved: January 8, 2020 Oakhurst, California
revised: February 12, 2020