Regulation-Code-JFB-R1

Section J - Students

Policy Title: Enrollment and School Choice
Policy Code: JFB-R1

Print Version (in PDF)

Per Policy JFB, each student shall be assigned to an attendance zone school based on the student's legal address. A student wishing to enroll at a school other than his or her attendance zone school may apply to another school through School Choice (per JFB-R2) or they may be placed as a Magnet Pipeline student per JFB-R3.

The following provides procedures for some special circumstances related to Policy JFB.

Change of Residence
Students, including nonresident students, who are currently enrolled at a school and remain enrolled to the end of the school year, even if they move out of a school's attendance boundary or out of District, may continue, without application, at that school until graduation from that school or until they elect to attend another school. They will be classified as address-change students for that time. Transportation for District resident pupils will be provided per Policy EEA – Student Transportation.

School Choice Where Attendance Zones Overlap
There is one instance of overlapping school attendance zones: Carrillo-Drachman, for grades K to 5. The Carrillo-Drachman overlap came about as Carrillo transitioned from K-2 to K-5 and Drachman transitioned from 3-5 to K-6.

Students within these areas may attend either school. Parents/guardians may indicate the choice of either school by pre-enrollment or by registering at the preferred school at the start of school. That registration will be effective through the last grade offered by that school. If the parent/guardian wishes to enroll the student at another school mid-year, they may do so by submitting a School Choice application. If they wish to change to the other attendance-zone school the next school year they must register at that school through pre-enrollment or at the start of the next school year. If the parent/guardian wants the student to stay at the same school once registered, they do not need to re-register.

School Choice and the Attendance Zones for K-8 Schools
The attendance zones for K-8 schools do not overlap with the attendance zones of middle schools. There are three possible scenarios for K-8 schools:

1. K-8 schools that are middle schools incorporating a smaller K-5 school. Examples of these are Booth-Fickett and Safford. In these, there is a relatively small attendance zone for the K-5 students and a larger attendance zone for the 6-8 students.
2. K-8 schools that evolved from K-5 schools by adding grades 6-8. Examples of these are Morgan Maxwell, Rose and Dietz. The attendance zone for K-5 students is the original K-5 attendance zone of the school; the attendance zone for 6-8 students is the attendance zone of the middle school serving the area.
3. K-8 schools that have a discrete attendance zone for K-8 students—this serves as the K-5 attendance area and the 6-8 attendance area. The only such K-8 school is Mary Belle McCorkle.

Regardless which of the above scenarios applies, fifth graders attending a K-8 school will automatically roll over to the 6th grade of that school unless the parents indicate, in writing, that they want to have the student attend the middle school serving the area in which they live. All other students who wish to attend the K-8 school for 6th through 8th grade must submit a school choice application.

Adopted: July 10, 2015 [Friday Report]
Revision: February 10, 2017 [Friday Report]

Cross Ref: Policy JC – Student Attendance Boundaries; Policy EEA – Student Transportation