JFABB-R – Foreign Exchange Students Sponsored by an Approved Organization (J-1 VISA)

General Requirements

Only foreign exchange organizations designated by the United States Department of State and listed in the current Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) publication will be considered by the District for approval. Inquiries from foreign exchange organizations should be directed to District Admissions. The foreign exchange organization must have a local program representative who resides within the greater metropolitan Denver area and who will meet with District high school personnel, the student and the host family on a regular basis. Orientation must be provided by the foreign exchange organization to the host family prior to the arrival of the exchange student. The foreign exchange organization must annually submit an application for approval to District Admissions. The application format will be prescribed by the District. Applications are due by March 1 for consideration for the following school year. The sponsoring foreign exchange organization shall submit a request for admission and appropriate information on the student and the student's previous school record to District Admissions for consideration prior to the time that a commitment is made to admit the student. No more than two foreign exchange students from the same foreign exchange organization shall be admitted for attendance at any one high school during any one school year except with the approval of the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Operations or his/her designee. Preferably, the students will be from different countries. Foreign exchange students are not permitted at District elementary or middle schools.

Foreign Exchange Students Requirements

The District only accepts high school students who are sponsored by District-approved foreign exchange organizations and who qualify for a J-1 visa. Foreign exchange organizations designated by the U.S. Department of State may issue the Form DS-2019 which is required to obtain a J-1 visa, after a student is granted permission to attend a District high school. All J-1 visa international exchange students must meet the following criteria:

1. The student must not have turned 18-1/2 years of age before the date of enrollment in a District high school.
2. The student must not have graduated from high school or its equivalent.
3. The student must reside with a legal adult resident. To be eligible for admission to the District, a foreign exchange student must be placed with a host family where one or more students from that family attend the same District high school the foreign exchange student will attend.
4. The student should have sufficient knowledge of the English language to enable effective oral and written communication, to use instructional materials and textbooks printed in English and to function in the regular educational program without special professional assistance. The ELA staff at the assigned school will make the determination of the student's English proficiency. If a non-immigrant foreign student's English proficiency is found to be insufficient to function in the regular instructional program without special assistance, ELA support will be provided by the District.
5. The student must have average or above-average grades in his/her home school and must not be receiving special professional assistance to function in the regular academic program.
6. To request admission the foreign exchange organization must submit the following documents:
  1. Official transcript and/or record of prior education from the student's home school and an English translation of the same documents. The records should reflectcourses taken and grades/credits earned. Evaluation of transcript and/or records will be done by the Registrar/Counselor at the assigned school, prior to admission.
  2. Evidence of required immunizations.
  3. Evidence of health and accident insurance covering the duration of his/her visa.
7. Foreign exchange students are not eligible to graduate or receive a diploma from a District high school. Foreign exchange students are not eligible for scholastic awards, but can receive extra-curricular awards.
8. The eligibility requirements of the Colorado High School Activities Association will be followed.
9. Foreign exchange students are expected to pay for all lunches, athletic and student activity fees, yearbook costs, and all other school-incurred expenses that are expected of other students in the District. As a general rule, District or group activity funds will not be allowed for these expenses, and there will be no free waivers or reduced prices with the exception that a foreign exchange student may be deemed eligible for free or reduced meal prices if the foreign exchange student's family qualifies for free or reduced meal prices.
10. Foreign exchange students are required to comply with all District policies. If a foreign exchange student's grades, attendance, or behavior is deemed unsatisfactory by the high school, the foreign exchange student may be withdrawn, and both the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be advised immediately of this withdrawal by the foreign exchange organization.
11. Approvals for admission must be obtained from District Admissions between February 1 and May 15 for the following academic year. The foreign exchange student may attend a high school within the District for a period not to exceed one year. All foreign exchange students will be accepted only at the beginning of a school year and for a minimum of one semester of attendance if specifically approved by the building principal.
12. All foreign exchange students must attend the District high school within the assigned attendance area of the host family home in which they are residing.

Requirements for Host Families

A foreign exchange student must reside with the same host family for the entire period of their enrollment with CCSD as a foreign exchange student. The host family must live within the attendance boundary of the District high school that the foreign exchange student will attend and have a current high school student attending that same District high school. The host family and local program representative must maintain contact with the District high school which the foreign exchange student attends, must be available and willing to meet with District high school personnel when problems or circumstances require and must assume full responsibility for resolving problems including the withdrawal of the student if difficulties cannot resolved.

Foreign Students Living with Parents

Foreign students living with one or both parents have the right to attend school if the parents reside within District boundaries. The student must not have graduated from high school or its equivalent and at the time of admission to his/her respective school has not reached the age of twenty-one (21) years. These students can go directly to District Admissions to enroll. Adoption Date: September 08, 1997 Last Revised: February 10, 2020