3131 Policy – Student Attendance Area Transfers

Each student in Bellingham Public Schools is required to attend the school designated for the geographic attendance area in which the student resides. A parent/guardian may request that their child be allowed to attend another school in the district.

General transfers may be granted if:

A. A financial, educational, safety or health condition affecting the student would be reasonably improved as a result of the transfer; or

B. Attendance at another school in the district is more accessible to the parent/guardian work location and/or childcare; or

C. There is some other special hardship or detrimental condition affecting the student or the student鈥檚 immediate family which would be alleviated as a result of the transfer.

General transfers may not be granted if:

A. There is no space available in the grade level or classes at the building in which the student desires to be enrolled; or

B. There are no appropriate educational programs or services available to improve the student鈥檚 condition as stated in requesting the transfer; or

C. The student’s transfer is likely to create a risk to the health or safety of other students or staff at the new building; or

D. The student has discipline issues, chronic attendance problems or lacks academic progress; or

E. The school is not able to adequately meet the needs of the student and/or family based on principal determination.

Specific transfers will be granted under the following conditions:

A. The student is a child of a full-time certificated or classified school employee. For the purposes of this policy 鈥渇ull time employee鈥 means employees who are employed for the full number of hours and days for their job description. Those children shall be permitted to enroll:

        1. At the school to which the employee is assigned; or
        2. At a school forming the district鈥檚 K-12 continuum which includes the school to which the employee is assigned, unless:
        3. A student who moves to a new attendance area in the district during the school year may elect to transfer at the time of the move or at the end of the semester or grading period. For a high school sophomore or junior transfers may only be approved to coincide with the beginning of a new grading period. A senior may elect to finish the school year without transferring to a new school but must declare their preference prior to the beginning of the last semester. Students participating in any district extracurricular activities must live in the attendance area of their secondary school or have obtained a legitimate transfer in accordance with this policy. Any deviation from these requirements will cause all extra-curricular participation rights and privileges to be forfeited (per WIAA rules).

 

Duration of the transfer is for the designated school year only or a stated period of lesser duration. Acceptance of students who are the children of full-time employees will be for the duration of their schooling or until the parent/guardian is no longer an employee.

Reporting Transfers Out of the District

When students move out of the district without notification of where they will be enrolling once they have moved, it can be challenging to know how to report the transfer appropriately and ensure the student鈥檚 educational records are forwarded. To address these challenges, the district will follow the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS) Reporting Guidance for reporting students as confirmed or unconfirmed transfers both inside and outside of Washington.

To confirm the transfer of a student who has emigrated to another country, the district will obtain written confirmation, but need not obtain an 鈥渙fficial鈥 writing. This means that if a parent/guardian informs a school administrator that the family is leaving the country and a school administrator documents the conversation in writing and includes it in the student鈥檚 file, the district may report the out of country transfer as confirmed. However, the district will not report a transfer as confirmed if information that a student has moved is reported from a student鈥檚 friend rather than a parent/guardian.

The superintendent is directed to develop procedures to implement this policy that shall include a process for appealing decisions made regarding student transfers.

Adopted/Revised: 12/08/03; 03/17/05; 02/23/12; 02/17/15; 07/26/18
Updated: 02/09/24
Superintendent or Board Approved: Superintendent Approved
Cross References: Content
 

Legal References: Content
 


Management Resources: Content
 

Policy News, May 2020 Transfers

Policy News, June 2003 Enrolling Children of School Employees

CEDARS Guidance, available on OSPI: website www.k12.wa.us/data-reporting/reporting/cedars