School District Of Westfield
Bylaws & Policies
 

5113 - OPEN ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (Inter-District)

The School District ("District") will participate in the Wisconsin Public School Open Enrollment Program in accordance with applicable law and the relevant policies and rules of the District, all as amended from time-to-time.

DEFINITIONS

The following definitions will apply to the District's Open Enrollment Program.

 

A.

Non-Resident District

 
 

A school district located in Wisconsin which is not a student's district of residence.

 
 

B.

Non-Resident Student

 
 

A student who does not reside within the geographic boundaries of the District and who seeks admission to this District under the Open Enrollment Program.

 
 

C.

Tuition Student

 
 

A non-resident student who attends school in the District and pays tuition in accordance with State law.

 
 

D.

Full-Time Enrollment

 
 

A student is enrolled for the entire school day and receives all of his/her required education in this District.

 

E.

Class Size

 
 

The District’s determination of the maximum number of students who can be accommodated properly in a particular classroom without jeopardizing the quality of the instructional program and mitigating circumstances for a particular school, class, or program, including enrollment projections established by the District Administrator.

 
 

F.

Program Size

 
 

The enrollment or size restrictions in a specific program within a class or building. The District reserves the exclusive right to establish program size and to limit enrollment based upon the capability to properly allocate available resources, create and maintain a proper learning environment, and comply with contracts, grants, and applicable laws and regulations.

 
 

G.

Resident Student

 
 

A student who is a legal resident of this District and is consequently entitled to attend school in this District in accordance with Policy 5111 - Eligibility of Resident/Non-resident Students.

FULL TIME OPEN ENROLLMENT

 

A.

Decisional Criteria for Non-resident Applications

 
 

Decisions on non-resident open enrollment applications will be based only on the following criteria:

 
 

1.

The availability of space in the schools, programs, classes, or grades with the District. The School Board shall determine during a regular meeting each January the number of regular education and special education spaces available. In determining the amount of space available, the District will count resident students, students attending the District for whom tuition is paid under 121.78(1)(a), Wis. Stats., and may include in its counted occupied spaces students and siblings of students who have applied under Section 118.51(3)(a) or 118.51(3m)(a) and are already attending public school in the District.

 
 

Other factors the District Administrator may consider in determining the availability of space include:,

 
 

a.

District practices, policies, procedures or other factors regarding class size ranges for particular programs or classes.

 
 

b.

District practices, policies, procedures or other factors regarding faculty-student ratio ranges for particular programs, classes or buildings.

 

c.

Enrollment projections for the schools of the District 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 non-resident open enrollment students, the required length of K-12 attendance opportunities for 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.

 
 

2.

Whether an applicant for a pre-kindergarten, four (4) year old kindergarten, early childhood or school operated day care program resides in a district which offers the program for which application is made.

 
 

3.

Whether the non-resident student has been expelled from any school district within the current school year or the two (2) preceding school years, or is pending any disciplinary proceeding, based on any of the following activities:

 
 

a.

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 school property by means of explosives.

 
 

b.

Engaging in conduct while at school or under school supervision that endangered the health, safety or property of others.

 

c.

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 school employee or Board member.

 
 

d.

Possessing a dangerous weapon (as defined in Section 939.22(10), Wis. Stats.) while on school property or under school supervision.

 
 

Notwithstanding the Board’s acceptance of a non-resident student’s application, the Board may withdraw acceptance if, prior to the beginning of the first school year in which the non-resident student will attend a school in the District, s/he is determined to fall under paragraph B. 3.

 
 

The Board may request a copy of a non-resident student’s disciplinary records from the resident School Board.

 
 

The resident Board shall provide to the nonresident Board a copy of any expulsion order or findings, a copy of any pending disciplinary proceedings, a written explanation of said proceeding, the length of the expulsion or possible outcomes of a pending proceeding, and/or such records as permitted by law.

 
 

4.

Whether the special education program or related services described in the non-resident student’s individualized education program ("IEP"), are available in the District. Funding for the education of students with disabilities will be made to the non-resident school district by the Department of Public Instruction in accordance with State law.

 
 

5.

Whether there is space available in the District to provide the special education or related services identified in the non-resident student’s IEP, after consideration of class size limits, student-teacher ratios, and enrollment projections.

 

6.

Whether the non-resident student has been referred to his or her resident Board under 115.777(1) Wis. Stats. or identified by his or her resident school board under 115.77(1m)(a) Wis. Stats. , but not yet evaluated by an individualized education program team.

 
 

7.

If the Board has made a determination that a non-resident student attending the District under the open enrollment program is habitually truant from the District during either semester of the current school year, the Board may prohibit the student from attending in the succeeding semester or school year.

 
 

B.

Reapplication Procedures

 
 

The Board will not require accepted non-resident students to reapply under the open enrollment policy when the non-resident student enters middle school. A non-resident student may be required to reapply only once.

 
 

C.

Transportation

 
 

The parents of a student attending a non-resident school district will be solely responsible for providing transportation to and from the school site or to a scheduled in-District bus stop, unless the non-resident student is a special education student and transportation is required by his/her IEP.

 
 

The Board may provide transportation to non-resident students from his/her resident district provided the student's resident district approved. The District Administrator shall develop procedures for implementing this provision.

 
 

The Board will not permit a neighboring District to bus resident students from within its boundaries for attendance at the non-resident neighboring District. The District Administrator shall develop procedures for implementing this provision.

ALTERNATIVE APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The parent of a non-resident student who wishes to attend a school in the District may apply at any time throughout the year by submitting an application under the alternative application procedure if the student satisfies at least one of the statutory criteria and has not applied to more than three non-resident school districts. Applications for open enrollment under the alternative application procedures for enrollment in 2015-2016 school year will be evaluated based on the District’s policy and Administrative Guidelines in place prior to July 1, 2015, which may be accessed here. (See AG 5113 and AG 5113B – Open Enrollment for Students with Disabilities.

ANNUAL REVIEW

The Board shall review its Open Enrollment Program annually.

118.51, Wis. Stats.
Wis. Admin. Code. Ch. P.I. 36

Revised 8/15/12
Revised 12/17/14
Revised 1/27/16

© Neola 2015