JECB-AP : Admission of Non-Resident Students

Name: Admission of Non-Resident Students
Section: Required Policies
Code: JECB-AP

JECB-AP: Admission of Non-Resident Students

2024-2025 School Year Inter-District Transfer Request Form

The district may admit non-resident students as follows:

Consent of School Boards

Non-resident students may be admitted to the district by the written consent of the Bend-La Pine Schools Board (“Board”) and the school board of the district in which the student is a resident, as provided by ORS 339.133(5)(a). Such students become resident pupils of the district. Bend-La Pine Schools shall determine the length of the inter-district transfer approval subject to the requirement that non-resident students must reapply for admission to the district at the point of transition as described below; entitling the district to receive State School Fund distributions for the period of their admission and attendance.

Non-resident students admitted through this process must apply for admission at the point of entry and then reapply at the point of transition to middle and / or high school if they wish to continue to attend district schools. Non-resident students who reapply and receive joint approval are not guaranteed re-enrollment at their current school, nor are they guaranteed to follow the feeder path to the next school level from their current school.

The Board may decide to limit the number of non-resident students to whom consent is given each year. The Board shall determine whether to limit the number of students to whom consent is given by no later than June 1 of each school year, and the maximum number of non-resident students to whom consent will be given. If the number of students seeking admission under this process exceeds any limitations imposed by the Board, the Board will conduct an equitable lottery selection process. The Board may give priority to non-resident students who have siblings currently enrolled in a district school.

When considering whether to admit a non-resident student by giving consent, or whether to give consent to allow a resident student to be admitted by another school district, the Board shall not consider race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, disability, health, the existence of an individualized education program, the terms of an individualized education program, income level, residence, proficiency in the English language, athletic ability or academic records. When considering whether to admit a non-resident student by giving consent, the only information that the Board may request or require is the name, contact information, date of birth and grade level of the student, and information about whether the district may be prevented or otherwise limited from providing consent as provided by ORS 339.115(8). The Board shall not request or require any person to provide any of the following information related to the student prior to deciding whether to give consent to the student:

1. Information about the student’s race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, disability, health, the existence of an individualized education program, the terms of an individualized education program, income level, residence, proficiency in the English language or athletic ability.
2. Academic records, including eligibility for or participation in a talented and gifted program or special education and related services.

When considering whether to admit a non-resident student by giving consent, the Board shall not request or require the student to participate in an interview, to tour any of the schools or facilities of the school district prior to the district school board deciding whether to give consent to the student. However, this policy shall not prevent a student from voluntarily touring any of the schools or district facilities or from requesting or receiving any information from a school or the district.

The Board shall deny regular school admission to non-resident students who are under expulsion from another district for a weapons policy violation. The Board may, based on district criteria, deny regular school admission to non-resident students who are under expulsion from another district for reasons
other than a weapons policy violation, as provided by ORS 339.250.

The district does not provide transportation to / from school for students who reside outside of the Bend-La Pine Schools’ attendance area unless required by law. Students may be allowed to use existing bus
routes of the district if the Director of Transportation determines there is available room on a specific route.

Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment was enacted by the Oregon Legislature in 2011 through House Bill 3681, to create an additional enrollment option for students wishing to transfer between school districts. The Open Enrollment statute contained a sunset provision effective July 1, 2017.

Any student who has been given admission through the Open Enrollment process, prior to the sunset provision, is considered a resident for all educational programs and purposes, and remains a resident of the district until the student graduates from high school, is no longer required to be admitted to the school
district under ORS 339.115, or enrolls in a school in a different district.

Students Paying Tuition

Non-resident students may be admitted to the district at the Board’s discretion if the non-resident student pays tuition to the district. Neither the district nor the district where the student is a resident shall be eligible for State School Fund money for that student. Non-resident students and/or their parents or guardians shall petition the Superintendent or designee for admission on a tuition basis.

The Board shall establish tuition annually in a regular Board meeting. After approval of a petition for admission by the Superintendent, tuition shall be prepaid by the term or semester prior to enrollment. The Superintendent may reduce the period represented by the prepaid tuition if the parent or guardian of the student is establishing residence in the district before the beginning of the ensuing term. The district will require a tuition agreement to be signed by the district and the parent/guardian of the non-resident student, which will be filed with the district business office for billing and payment purposes.

Foreign Exchange Students

The district will accept exchange students from other nations on a J-1 Visa who reside within the district as participants in an exchange program officially recognized by the Board. Exchange students on a J-1 Visa are not required to pay tuition. Students on any other visa may not be enrolled. Students entering a district school as a foreign exchange student are admitted for a one-year period only.

Exchange students must comply with immunization requirements set forth in state law. Once admitted, exchange students become subject to all district policies and regulations governing students.

Exchange students are not eligible for participation in Expanded Options or for a Bend-La Pine Schools diploma unless they meet all graduation requirements.

The principal must approve foreign exchange students in the spring for the upcoming school year. Enrollment may be limited to a maximum of four students at Bend Senior High School, four students at Mountain View High School, four students at Summit High School, and two students at La Pine High School. The limitation shall be exclusive of community-based programs sponsored by local service clubs. Principals may approve admission of additional exchange students.

The district will waive tuition requirements and provide textbooks for approved foreign exchange students.

Referral from Juvenile Court

If a juvenile court determines it is in the student’s best interest, a student placed in a substitute care program outside the district will continue to be considered a resident student and allowed to attend the school the student attended prior to placement. The public agency placing the student in a substitute care program will be responsible for the transportation of the student, if public agency funds are available.

Reviewed: 1/24/12, 2/25/14, 2/15/16, 2/15/21
Approved: 2/7/12, 3/11/14, 2/15/16, 3/2/21