5111.02 - EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR MILITARY CHILDREN

Cedar Springs Public School District

Administrative Guidelines

5111.02 - EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR MILITARY CHILDREN

In accordance with the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children ("Compact") the following procedures will be followed when such children are students within the District.

APPLICABILITY

These guidelines apply to the children of:

	A.	active duty members of the uniformed services as defined in the Compact, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders;

	B.	members or veterans of the uniformed services who are severely injured and medically discharged or retired for a period of one (1) year after medical discharge or retirement; and

	C.	members of the uniformed services who die on active duty or as a result of injuries sustained on active duty for a period of one (1) year after death.

These guidelines do not apply to the children of:

	A.	inactive members of the National Guard and military reserves;

	B.	members of the uniformed services now retired, except as provided above;

	C.	veterans of the uniformed services, except as provided above; or

	D.	other United States Department of Defense personnel and other Federal agency civilian and contract employees not defined as active duty member of the uniformed services.

EDUCATIONAL RECORDS AND ENROLLMENT

	A.	Unofficial or "Hand-Carried" Education Records - In the event that official education records cannot be released to the parents for the purpose of transfer, the building administrator shall prepare and furnish to the parent of an eligible student a complete set of unofficial educational records containing uniform information as determined by the Interstate Commission.

		Upon receipt of the unofficial education records for an eligible student, the District shall enroll and appropriately place the student based on the information provided in the unofficial records pending validation by the official records, as quickly as possible.

	B.	Official Education Records/Transcripts - Simultaneously with the enrollment and conditional placement of the student, the District shall request the student's official education record from the sending school. Upon receipt of such a request from a receiving school, the District will process and furnish the official education records to the school within ten (10) days or within such time as is established by the Interstate Commission.

	C.	Immunizations - Eligible students have thirty (30) days from the date of enrollment or within such time as promulgated by the Interstate Commission, to obtain or provide proof of State required immunization(s). For a series of immunizations, initial vaccinations must be obtained within thirty (30) days or within such time promulgated by the Interstate Commission.

	D.	Grade Level Placement - Eligible students shall be enrolled at the grade level in the District commensurate with their grade level (including Kindergarten) from the school in the sending state at the time of transition, regardless of age. A student that has satisfactorily completed the prerequisite grade level in their prior school shall be eligible for enrollment in the next highest grade level in the District, regardless of age. A student transferring after the start of the school year shall enter the school in the receiving state on the grade level validated by an accredited school in the sending state.

PLACEMENT AND ATTENDANCE

	A.	Course Placement - When an eligible student transfers before or during the school year, the receiving district will initially honor placement of the student in educational courses based on the student's enrollment in the sending state school and/or educational assessments conducted at the sending school if the courses are offered. Course placement includes but is not limited to Honors, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, Vocational, Technical and Career Pathways courses. Continuing the student's academic program from the previous school and promoting placement in academically and career challenging courses should be paramount when considering placement. The District may perform subsequent evaluations to verify appropriate placement and continued enrollment of the student in the course(s).

	B.	Educational Program Placement - The District will initially honor placement of the student in educational programs based on current educational assessments conducted at the sending school or the student's participation/placement in like programs at the sending school. Such programs include, but are not limited to: 1) gifted and talented programs; and 2) English as a second language (ESL). The District may perform subsequent evaluations to verify appropriate placement of the student.

	C.	Special Education Services - In compliance with the Federal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), 20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq., the District will initially provide comparable services to a student with disabilities based on his/her current Individualized Education Program (IEP).


		In compliance with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. Section 794 (as amended) and with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. Sections 12131-12165 (as amended), the District will make reasonable accommodations and modifications to address the needs of incoming students with disabilities subject to an existing 504 or Title II Plan, to provide the student with equal access to education. The District may perform subsequent evaluations to verify appropriate placement of the student.

	D.	Placement Flexibility - The District may, when determined appropriate, waive course/program prerequisites, or other preconditions for placement in courses/programs offered by the District to allow eligible students to participate.

	E.	Absence Related to Deployment Activities - A student whose parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting, shall be granted additional excused absences at the discretion of the Superintendent to visit with his/her parent or legal guardian relative to such leave or deployment of the parent or guardian.

ELIGIBILITY

A.	Eligibility for Enrollment

	1.	Special power of attorney, relative to the guardianship of a child of a military family and executed under applicable law shall be sufficient for the purposes of enrollment and all other actions requiring parental participation and consent.

	2.	The District will not charge tuition to a transitioning military child placed in the care of a non-custodial parent or other person standing in loco parentis who lives in a district or jurisdiction other than that of the custodial parent.

	3.	A transitioning military child, placed in the care of a non-custodial parent or other person standing in loco parentis who lives in a district or jurisdiction other than that of the custodial parent, may continue to attend the school in which s/he was enrolled while residing with the custodial parent.

B.	Eligibility for Extra-Curricular Participation - The District will facilitate the opportunity for transitioning military children's inclusion in extra-curricular activities, regardless of application deadlines, to the extent they are otherwise qualified.

GRADUATION

To facilitate the on-time graduation of children of military families the District will adhere to the following procedures:

	A.	Waiver Requirements - The District will waive specific courses required for graduation if similar course work has been satisfactorily completed in another district or provide reasonable justification for denial. Should a waiver not be granted to a student who would qualify to graduate from his/her sending school, the District will provide an alternative means of acquiring required coursework so that graduation may occur on time.

	B.	Exit Exams - The District will accept: 1) exit or end-of-course exams required for graduation from the sending state; or 2) national norm referenced achievement tests; or 3) alternative testing, in lieu of testing requirements for graduation in Michigan. In the event the above alternatives cannot be accommodated by Michigan for a student transferring in his/her Senior year, then the provisions of Section C below shall apply.

Transfers During Senior Year - Should a military student transferring at the beginning or during his/her Senior year be ineligible to graduate from the District after all alternatives have been considered, the District and the sending district shall ensure the receipt of a diploma from the sending district if the student meets the graduation requirements of the sending district. In the event that the sending district is in a state that is not a member of the Compact, the District will use its best efforts to facilitate the on-time graduation of the student in accordance with A and B above in this Section.

DEFINITIONS

As used in this guideline the following definition will apply, unless the context clearly requires a different construction:

	A.	"Active Duty" means full-time status in the active uniformed service of the United States, including members of the National Guard and Reserves on active duty orders.

	B.	"Children of Military Families" means a school-aged child(ren), enrolled in Kindergarten through Twelfth grade, in the household of an active duty member.

	C.	"Deployment" means the period one (1) month prior to the service members' departure from their home station on military orders through six (6) months after return to their home station.

	D.	"Education(al) Records" means those official records, files, and data directly related to a student and maintained by the school or District, including but not limited to records encompassing all the material kept in the student's cumulative folder such as general identifying data, records of attendance and of academic work completed, records of achievement and results of evaluative tests, health data, disciplinary status, test protocols, and individualized education programs.

	E.	"Extra-Curricular Activities" means a voluntary activity sponsored by the school or local education agency or an organization sanctioned by the District. Extra-Curricular activities include, but are not limited to, preparation for and involvement in public performances, contests, athletic competitions, demonstrations, displays, and club activities.

	F.	"Interstate Commission" means the commission that is created under Article IX of the Compact.

	G.	"Member State" means a state that has enacted the Compact.

	H.	"Receiving State" means the state to which a military family is sent, brought, or caused to be sent or brought.

	I.	"Rule" means: a written statement by the Interstate Commission promulgated pursuant to Article XII of the Compact that is of general applicability, implements, interprets or prescribes a policy or provision of the Compact, or an organizational, procedural, or practice requirement of the Interstate Commission, and has the force and effect of statutory law in a member state, and includes the amendment, repeal, or suspension of an existing rule.

	J.	"Sending State" means: the state from which a child of a military family is sent, brought, or caused to be sent or brought.

	K.	"State" means: a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marianas Islands and any other U.S. Territory.

	L.	"Student" means: the child of a military family for whom the school receives public funding and who is formally enrolled in Kindergarten through Twelfth grade.

	M.	"Transition" means: 1) formal and physical process of transferring from school to school or 2) the period of time in which a student moves from one school in the sending state to another school in the receiving state.

	N.	"Uniformed Service(s)" means: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard as well as the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Public Health Services.

	O.	"Veteran" means: a person who served in the uniformed services and who was discharged or released there from under conditions other than dishonorable.

To the extent there is any inconsistency between this guideline and the current Rules implementing this Compact, the current Rules will prevail.

Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
M.C.L. 3.1041