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P5505 Resident Enrollment and Partial Enrollment Admissions

  • 5500 Student Enrollment and Records
P5505 Resident Enrollment and Partial Enrollment Admissions

A student shall enroll in the school designated to serve the attendance area in which the lawful custodian(s) hold legal residence except when a special assignment is granted or made. 

Administrative Implemental Procedures: 

  1. Any child who will have attained the age of five years on or before August 31 of a school year shall be eligible to enroll in kindergarten at the beginning of that school year. A child shall be eligible to enroll in the first grade if they have attained the age of six years on or before such date. Exceptions provided by law (K.S.A. 72-3118) are: 
    1. Any child who was a resident in another state, and while residing in that state had entered and was in attendance in a kindergarten program in that state, may enroll in kindergarten in Kansas regardless of age. 
    2. Any child who entered kindergarten under the circumstances described in 1a, and who has completed the kindergarten course in Kansas, may attend first grade in Kansas regardless of age. 
    3. Any child who was a resident of another state, and while residing in that state had entered and was in attendance in a first-grade program in that state, may enroll in the first grade in Kansas regardless of age. 
    4. Any child who has completed in another state a kindergarten course maintained by a public school district or by an accredited private, denominational, or parochial school shall be eligible to enter the first grade in Kansas regardless of age. 
  2. Upon entering USD 259 for the first time, the following proof of identity must be provided: 
    1. A certified copy of the birth certificate, or 
    2. For a child who is in the custody of the Secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, a certified copy of the court order placing the child in the custody of the Secretary and, a certified transcript or other similar student records or data, or 
    3. Any documentary evidence deemed to be satisfactory (see procedures distributed to each school from Student Records and Enrollment Services). 
    4. Information gathered during the investigation to establish the identity of a child pursuant to this state law shall be confidential and shall be used only to establish the identity of the child or in support of any criminal prosecution emanating from the investigation. 
  3. Upon receipt by a school of a notice from a law enforcement agency that a child who is or has been enrolled in the school has been reported as a missing child, the school shall make note of the same. Upon receipt of a request for the school records of the child, the school shall notify the law enforcement agency of the request. 
  4. Students shall not be denied admission at the appropriate school to which they are otherwise eligible to enroll on the basis of marital status, pregnancy, or prior attendance at a non public school, or on the basis of late enrollment. 
  5. When a change of residence within USD 259 occurs, students shall normally make an immediate transfer to the school serving the area of new residence. However, the student may complete the school year in the school they were attending at the time of residence change through completion of the special assignment process. Acceptance of the special assignment request is at the discretion of the building principal. 
  6. When a boundary change for a secondary school occurs, other than when a new secondary school is being opened, the lawful custodian(s) may exercise an option of school attendance for the student. 
    1. Secondary students may continue in the school of initial attendance eligibility. 
    2. Secondary students may attend their school according to the new attendance eligibility. Consideration to attend the new school will be made following submission of an Application for Special Assignment. 
  7. When a new middle or high school is being opened, BOE Policy 1373 - Establishing School Attendance Areas shall apply. 
  8. Special education students, except gifted, shall be afforded the following exceptions to this policy: 
    1. Any child who will attain the age of three during the school year will be allowed to enroll in the district’s special education programs, once that child is identified as eligible and demonstrating a need for such services. 
    2. Any child zero to two years of age may be eligible for some special education services, once that child is identified as eligible and demonstrating a need for such services. 
    3. Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) students will receive special assignments based on locations of programs. 
  9. If a building principal has been made aware that a student has been attending their school on the basis of erroneous residential information, the principal will notify the student’s lawful custodian that the student may no longer attend that school and direct them to the proper attendance center, unless the principals involved agree that the student should remain, then appropriate special assignment forms shall be processed. 
  10. The board allows any child to enroll part-time in the school district to allow the student to attend any courses, programs, or services offered by the school district if the child: 
    1. is also enrolled in a non-accredited private elementary or secondary school or in any other private, denominational, or parochial school as required by law; 
    2. requests to enroll part-time in the school district; and 
    3. meets the age of eligibility requirements for school attendance. 
  11. District administrators shall make a good faith attempt to accommodate scheduling requests of students enrolling in the school district in these situations but shall not be required to make adjustments to accommodate every such request. 
  12. Part-time students, other than those specified previously in this policy may enroll with the administration’s permission if they complete all paperwork in a timely fashion and are either in attendance no later than September 20th or the attendance deadline has been waived.  The decision to waive the attendance deadline is a matter entrusted to the discretion of the superintendent or the superintendent's designee. 

Administrative Responsibility: Student Records and Enrollment Services 

Latest Revision Date: May 2023 

Previous Revision Date: March 2014 P5505 

Updated administratively for alignment purposes: January 2021 

Download P5505