The Board of Education endorses the neighborhood school concept and makes many decisions based on student population within the attendance areas of residence. The Board recognizes, however, that resident students may wish to attend a school or participate in a program located in an area other than that of their assigned school. Therefore, students will be allowed to attend any school or participate in any program of their choice on a space available, first-come, first-served basis.
In implementing the open enrollment program, the district is not required to:
- Make alterations in the structure of a requested school or make alterations to the arrangement or function of rooms within a requested school.
- Establish and offer any particular program in a school if such program is not offered currently in such school.
- Alter or waive any established eligibility criteria for participation in a particular program including age requirements, course prerequisites and required levels of performance.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this policy, a student may be assigned outside the attendance area by mutual agreement of the principals in the special interest of the student and/or school.
Open Enrollment and Transfers
Resident students and their parents/guardians will be notified on an annual basis of the options available through open enrollment in sufficient time to apply.
Students, including home-schooled students desiring to take classes on a part-time basis, within designated attendance areas will have priority in registering in that school. Students may apply for open enrollment in a school outside their attendance area and such applications will be admitted if there is space available in the requested school and the application has been submitted on or before September 15 for first semester and January 15 for second semester in accordance with the regulations accompanying this policy.
Parents and/or students who desire a change of school after September 15 for first semester and January 15 for second semester must submit a letter together with the required form requesting a transfer. The request will be reviewed and acted upon in accordance with the regulations accompanying this policy.
Open enrollment and transfer students attending a school outside their attendance area will be granted enrollment on a year-to-year basis.
Students granted permission to enroll in a school other than the school in their assigned attendance area will have the same curricular and extracurricular status as all other students attending the school, as determined by applicable law, bylaws of the Colorado High School Activities Association and the district’s eligibility requirements.
Any student enrolled pursuant to this policy will be allowed to remain enrolled in the school or program through the end of the school year unless overcrowding or other undesirable conditions develop, as described in the accompanying regulation.
Transportation
Transportation for students granted permission to attend school outside their attendance area must be furnished by their parents unless space is available in district buses without disruption of regular routes and loading areas. Homeless students, students in foster care and students with disabilities will be transported, as necessary, in accordance with state and federal law.
Military Children
The district will allow an inbound active duty military member to use the school liaison office address for the military installation to which the inbound active duty military member is or will be assigned in order to apply for open enrollment in a district school or program. No additional documentation of an inbound active duty military member’s child’s state address will be required to apply for open enrollment.
The district school or program in which the child of an inbound active duty military member is open enrolled will grant guaranteed automatic matriculation while the child remains in the district, including guaranteed automatic matriculation to the next grade, even if the next grade is in a different school level or building, in the same manner guaranteed automatic matriculation is provided to resident students. The district will also grant priority preference for the younger siblings of the child of an inbound active duty military member who is open enrolled for purposes of enrolling in subsequent school years.
Nondiscrimination
The Board, the superintendent, other administrators, and district employees will not unlawfully discriminate based on a student’s disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family composition, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services in the determination or recommendation of action under this policy. For more information on the District’s nondiscrimination policy, please contact the compliance officer or Title IX Coordinator, identified in AC-E-1.
Special Education Students
The district will not inquire about an applicant’s IEP or disability status until after the applicant has been admitted. Thereafter, the district must consider the request for open enrollment or transfer to another school or program in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.
Adopted: September 2020
Revised: October 2021
Revised: June 2022
Revised: December 2022
Revised: February 2025
LEGAL REFS.: C.R.S. 22-1-102 (definition of district resident)
C.R.S. 22-32-109 (1)(ll) (Board duty to adopt policies requiring enrollment decisions to be made in a nondiscriminatory manner)
C.R.S. 22-32-110 (1)(m) (power to fix boundaries)
C.R.S. 22-36-101 et seq. (open enrollment)
C.R.S. 22-36-107 (inbound active duty military families open enrollment and registration)
1 CCR 301-8, Rules 4.03 and 8.07 (prohibiting administrative units from inquiring about a transferring child’s IEP or disability status until after the child has been admitted)
CROSS REFS.:
Board policy:
SSG-2, Treatment of Students, Parents and Community
Administrative policies:
AC-E-1, Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportuinty
EEA, Student Transportation
IHBG, Home Schooling
JC, School Attendance Areas
JFABD, Homeless Students
JFABE, Students in Foster Care
JFBB, Inter-District Choice/Open Enrollment
JJJ, Extracurricular Activity Eligibility
Lake County School District R-1, Leadville, Colorado