424
OPEN ENROLLMENT POLICY
This policy shall be administered in accordance with the state public school open
enrollment law. The Friess Lake School District Board of Education reserves all
authority and discretion accorded to it under the state public school open enrollment law.
The Board hereby authorizes the District Administrator to administer the Public School
Open Enrollment Policies and Procedures adopted by the Board and to establish such
administrative guidelines as may be necessary to effectuate their purposes.
A.
Nonresident Open Enrollment Pupils
1. Acceptance and Rejection Criteria. A nonresident pupil may apply for fulltime enrollment in a Friess Lake School in accordance with state law. The Friess Lake
School District shall consider the following criteria when accepting or rejecting a
nonresident pupil's application for full-time enrollment, and may reject an application(s)
based upon such criteria:
(a) Whether there is space available for Nonresident Transfer Students.
No later than January 31of each school year the District Administrator will report
to the School Board the space available for the next school year in the schools,
programs, classes and grades for Open Enrollment students. In determining such
space availability, the District Administrator shall consider, but not limited to, the
following:
1. District practices, policies, procedures or other factors regarding class size
ranges and building limitations for particular programs or classes, or grades.
2. District practices, policies, procedures or other factors regarding faculty/student
ratio ranges for particular programs, classes, or grades.
3. Enrollment projections for the school which include, but are not limited to, the
following factors; the likely short and long-term economic development in the
community, projected student transfers in and out of the District, preference
requirements for siblings of nonresident Open Enrollment students, the required
length of K-12 attendance opportunities for Chapter 220 and Open Enrollment
students and current and future space needs for special programs, laboratories (e.g.
in technology or foreign languages) or similar district educational initiatives.
4. The number of nonresident students currently attending the school for which
tuition is paid by another district under §121.78(1)(a), Wis. Stats.
5. The number of resident home schooled or private school students likely to
attend the schools of the district in accordance with §118.145, Wis. Stats.
424 (2)
6. The number of nonresident students currently attending the school who have
applied for open enrollment.
(b)
Whether the pupil has been expelled from school by any school district
during the current or 2 preceding school years for any of the following
reasons or whether a disciplinary matters involving the pupil, which
are based on any of the following reasons, are pending:
(i)
Conveying or causing to be conveyed any threat or
false information concerning an attempt or alleged attempt
being made or to be made to destroy any school property by
means of explosives;
(ii)
Engaging in conduct while at school or while under
supervision of a school authority that endangered the
health, safety or property of others;
(iii)
Engaging in conduct while not at school or while
not under the supervision of a school authority that
endangered the health, safety or property of others at school
or under the supervision of a school authority or of any
employee of the school district or member of the school
board;
(iv)
Possessing a dangerous weapon, as defined in
s. 939.22(10), while at school or while under the
supervision of a school authority.
(c) Whether the special education program or related services described in the
child's individualized education program (IEP) under s. 115.80(4) are available in
the District or whether there is space available in the special education program
identified in the child's individualized education program, since these programs do
not have specific class size minimums and maximums. Staffing and program
levels are established based on the number of students and the specific needs of
students as determined by their IEP. Acceptance of non-resident special education
students will be made on an individual basis if space is available.
(d) Whether the child has been screened by his or her resident school board under
s. 115.80(2) to determine if there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is a
child with exceptional educational needs.
(e) Whether the child has been reported to his or her resident school board under
s. 115.80(1) or identified by his or her resident school board under s. 115.80(2)
but not yet evaluated by a multidisciplinary team appointed by his or her resident
school board under s. 115.80(3).
424 (3)
2. Rejection After Initial Acceptance. Notwithstanding initial acceptance of a
nonresident pupil following review of the above criteria, the School Board may at any
time prior to the beginning of the school year in which the pupil will first attend school
within the District notify the pupil that he or she may not attend school in the Friess Lake
District, if the Board determines that any of the criteria under Section A.1.(b) are met.
3. Preference and Random Selection. If the School Board receives more
applications for a particular grade, class or program than there are spaces available in the
grade, class or program, the School Board shall determine which pupils to accept on a
random basis, except that the School Board shall give preference in accepting
applications to pupils and to siblings of pupils who are already attending public school in
the Friess Lake School District and to students who were on the waiting list the previous
year and have reapplied. Under such circumstances, applications receiving preference
hereunder shall be placed into one pool and all other applications shall be placed into a
separate pool. The District Administrator or his/her designee shall draw names at random
from the pool of applicants entitled to preference until such pool is exhausted or until all
available spaces are filled, whichever occurs first. If available spaces remain after
exhausting the pool of applications receiving preference, the District Administrator or
his/her designee shall then draw names at random from the pool of applications not
receiving preference until all available spaces are filled. Such random selection process
may be used as frequently as necessary to fill available spaces.
4. IEP Program or Services Unavailable After Enrollment. The Board reserves
the right to deny attendance to a pupil already attending school in the Friess Lake School
District if a special education program or related services are unavailable, or if there is no
space available in the special education program identified in the child's IEP, in
accordance with the procedures and subject to the criteria set forth under s. 118.51(12)(a)
of the Wisconsin Statutes.
5. Nondiscrimination. Nonresident open enrollment pupils attending school in the
District shall have all the rights and privileges of resident pupils and are subject to the
same rules and regulations as resident pupils (except as allowed by the Public School
Open Enrollment Law).
6. Transportation. Except as otherwise allowed by the open enrollment law,
transportation of nonresident pupils to and from school shall be the
responsibility of the pupil's parent(s)/guardian(s).
7. Reapplication. Nonresident pupils whose applications have previously been
accepted by the School Board and who are attending school within the Friess
Lake School District may continue to attend school within the Friess Lake School
District in a succeeding school year without reapplying, except as
424 (4)
specified herein. The School Board may require that all nonresident pupils reapply
for admission in accordance with District policy and procedures, and subject to the
acceptance and rejection criteria hereinabove, prior to entering middle school (6th
grade).
B.
Open Enrollment Waiting List
The District may establish a numbered waiting list of all applicants whose application
was denied due to lack of space. If a waiting list is established, the remaining names,
after all available slots have been filled by random selection, will be drawn again
randomly and placed on the waiting list according to waiting list procedures.
Parents will be notified if the pupil has been accepted from the waiting list no later than
the third Friday in August. The notification shall include:
1. A written notice that the pupil has been accepted from the waiting list and a
written notice of the school and/or program in which the pupil will be
assigned.
2.
C.
The date by which the parent must notify the nonresident School Board
whether the pupil will attend the nonresident school district and the
procedures the parent must follow to do so. The School Board shall provide a
minimum of 10 calendar days from the date the notice was mailed for the
parent to respond. If the parent does not respond within the specified time
period, the acceptance may be rescinded and the space offered to the next
applicant on the waiting list.
Resident Open Enrollment Pupils
District pupils may apply for full-time enrollment in another public school district in
accordance with state law.
1. Limitation on Transfers. The number of resident pupils who attend public
school in other school districts on a full-time basis under the state open enrollment
program is limited to the minimum number of transfers required under s. 118.51(6) of the
Wisconsin Statutes.
2. Preference and Random Selection. If more than the maximum allowable
number of resident pupils apply to attend public school in other school districts in any
school year, the School Board shall determine which pupils will be allowed to attend
public school in other school districts on a random basis, except that the School Board
shall give preference to pupils who are already attending public school in the school
district to which they are applying, and to siblings of such pupils. Under such
circumstances, applications receiving preference hereunder shall be placed into one pool
and all other applications shall be placed into a separate pool. The District Administrator
or his/her designee shall pick names at random from the pool of applicants entitled to
preference until such pool is exhausted or until the maximum number of transfers is
attained, whichever occurs first. If additional transfer slots are available after exhausting
the pool of applications receiving preference, the District Administrator or his/her
designee shall then draw names at random from the pool of applications not receiving
preference until the maximum number of transfers is attained. Such random selection
process may be used as frequently as necessary to fulfill the purposes of this Policy.
3. Undue Financial Burden Before or After Enrollment. The Board reserves the
right to deny attendance in another public school district if the cost of a special education
program(s) or service(s) creates an undue financial burden, in accordance with the
procedures and subject to the criteria set forth under s. 118.51(12)(b) of the Wisconsin
Statutes.
4. Transportation. The transportation to and from school of a pupil attending
school in another school district shall be the responsibility of the pupil's
parent(s)/guardian(s).
424 (5)
LEGAL REFERENCES:
Wisconsin Statutes
118.13
Pupil discrimination prohibited
118.51
Full-time open enrollment
118.52
Part-time open enrollment
121.54(10)
Attendance in nonresident school district
121.58(2)(a)
State Aid - Transportation
Chapter 115
Subchapter V
PI 36.04(1)(b) Wisc. Administrative Code
Adopted : January 30, 2003
Revised : January 27, 2005
FRIESS LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Hubertus, Wisconsin