- Determination of Residency: Any questions about a student's residency status must be resolved prior to application for admission. These regulations apply to all Colorado students who do not reside within the boundaries of the school district.
- Requests for Admission: Requests for admission as a non-resident student must be initiated by the parent/guardian by filing the approved form available online or at the District Admission Office prior to August 1 for enrollment in the following academic year.
Parents/guardians must submit an admission request in accordance with these regulations for each school or program the student requests to attend.
The decision as to whether an application is accepted or rejected is based on criteria established in state law, Board policy and regulations. The parents/guardians and student will be notified of approval of disapproval of an admission request on or before the Wednesday in September following Labor Day.
Approval of a request to enroll in the District will be conditioned on each of the following:
- Actual enrollment and attendance in the school or program prior to the pupil count day.
- Receipt by the District of all applicable student records.
- Satisfaction of all District requirements for admission.
In the event any information is falsified or withheld from the District during the admission process, approval for admission will be immediately withdrawn.
An approved application will be valid for one year only. All nonresidents must reapply each year. Priority consideration for available space will be given in the following order:
- Resident - lives within the facilities boundaries
- Resident - through Intra-District choice.
- Children of District Employees - where provided for through negotiated agreement.
- Nonresident students - currently attending a Cherry Creek facility.
- New Nonresident students
Priority for magnet schools established by the District shall be the same as the priorities for other District facilities.
3. Grounds for Denial of Admission: Grounds for denial of admission to a nonresident student who otherwise complies with the District's policies and procedures are limited to the following:
- There is a lack of space or teaching staff in a particular program or school requested, in which case priority will be given to resident students applying for intra-district admission to the program or school;
- The school requested does not offer appropriate programs or is not structured or equipped with the necessary facilities to meet special needs of the student or does not offer the particular program requested;
- The student does not meet the established eligibility criteria for participation in a particular program, including the age requirement, course prerequisites and required levels of performance;
- A desegregation plan is in effect for the District, and denial is necessary in order to enable compliance with the desegregation plan.
- The student has been expelled from any school district in the preceding twelve (12) months or is in the process of being expelled because of habitually disruptive behavior (as defined in law) or for committing a serious offense for which expulsion is mandatory.
- The student has demonstrated behavior in another school district during the preceding twelve (12) months that is detrimental to the welfare or safety of other students or of school personnel.
- The student has graduated from 12th grade of any school or is in receipt of a document evidencing completion of the equivalent of a secondary curriculum;
- Except as may be required by law, the student is not five (5) years old on or before the pupil count day of the current school year or is twenty one (21) years of age prior to the start of the school year;
- The admission would require the District to alter or modify in any way the established staff assignments.
4. Criteria to Determine Availability of Space or Teaching Staff: Enrollment requests are subject to space availability in the school requested contingent upon District class and program size guidelines and course availability as determined by the receiving principal taking enrollment projections into consideration. Students whose enrollment requests have been approved will be assigned to classrooms on the basis of available staff and support services as well as the best use of classroom space.
A school or program shall be considered closed to any nonresident choice enrollment if it meets one or more of the following criteria:
- If a school is currently overflowing resident students to another school due to overcrowding;
- If a school is operating on a four-track year-round calendar;
- If the school's current enrollment exceeds 92% of the capacity as defined in the District Capacity Report. Mobile classrooms will not be considered in calculations of capacity.
- If a particular program exceeds the District's staffing standards;
- If a principal determines that given the school's staffing design there is not space available in a particular grade, class or program.
If the number of applicants for a particular school, grade, class, or program exceeds the number of spaces available, the students accepted will be determined on a random lottery basis.
Requests for enrollment in particular programs will take into consideration the applicant's qualification for the program.
Admission granted to one child in a family does not guarantee enrollment in a school or program of another child in the same family.
5. Athletics: Non-resident students who enroll within the District in accordance with this policy will have the same curricular and extracurricular status as all other students attending the school, limited only by rules of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA).
Eligibility for participation in interscholastic athletics will be determined in accordance with CHSAA rules.
6. Continuing Enrollment Criteria: Any student enrolled pursuant to this policy shall be allowed to remain enrolled in the school or program through the end of the school year unless:
- the student is expelled from the school or program;
- the student's continued participation in the school or program requires the District to make alterations in the structure of the school or to the arrangement or function of rooms;
- there is a lack of teaching space or teaching staff;
- the school does not offer appropriate programs or is not equipped to meet the special needs of the student;
- the school does not offer a program requested by the student;
- the student noes not meet eligibility criteria;
- a desegregation plan is in effect and denial of continued enrollment is necessary to comply with the plan.
7. Appeal Procedure: Should a request for admission be denied, the parent/guardian may appeal the denial by submitting a written statement which includes reasons for the appeal to District Admissions. Appeals will be reviewed by an appeals committee and a determination will be made to uphold or reject the denial of inter-district open enrollment.
Adoption Date: January 14, 2008 Last Revised: November 18, 2013