558 Procedure: Enrollment Options Program
558 Procedure: Enrollment Options Program
I. General Procedure
A. This procedure applies to any student who wishes to enroll at a school in Independent School District No. 279 other than the school to which his or her residence is assigned. The procedure applies to In-District Transfer (Resident) Students and Open-Enrolled (Non-Resident) Students. Both are admitted on the basis of available space at each grade in each building.
B. Once a student becomes an In-District Transfer or Open-Enrolled Student the student will remain in this status, subject to the policies and procedures that apply to Resident Students and the conditions specified below.
C. If any student changes residence, the parent/legal guardian must complete an updated enrollment options form. Failure to provide an updated enrollment options form may result in termination of the student’s Open Enrollment status.
II. Definitions
A. Habitual Truant
- A child under the age of 17 years who is absent:
a) From elementary school attendance without lawful excuse for seven school days per school year, or
b) From middle or high school attendance for one or more class periods on seven school days per school year.
2. A child aged 17 years old who is absent from attendance at school without lawful excuse for one or more class periods on seven school days per school year and who has not lawfully withdrawn from school will also be considered truant.
B. Magnet School
1. Magnet schools offer specialized curricular themes and are available as an enrollment option for all school district residents and those students who reside within the boundaries of the Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD). The following are Magnet Schools or programs operated by the school district.
a) Birch Grove Elementary School for the Arts
b) Weaver Lake Elementary: A Science, Math & Technology School
c) Zanewood Community School: A Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math School
d) Brooklyn Middle School: A Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math School
e) Osseo Senior High School Health Science Magnet Program
f) Park Center Senior High: An International Baccalaureate World School
C. Non-Resident
1. A student whose primary source of nurturing, personal care, supervision, emotional and financial support is at an address outside of school district boundaries, even though the student may lodge within the school district.
D. Open Enrollment
1. Open Enrollment - Parent/legal guardian lives outside of District 279 and would like their student to attend a school within District 279 boundaries.
E. Resident
1. A student who receives their primary nurturing, personal care, supervision, emotional and financial support in a residence within the legal boundaries of the school district,
a) From age five through completion of high school, but not beyond the twenty-first birthday if not disabled; or
b) From birth through completion of high school, or until July 1 after the twenty-first birthday if disabled.
F. In-District Transfer
1. Parent/legal guardian lives inside District 279 boundaries and would like their student to attend a school other than their assigned attendance area school.
III. In-District Transfer (Resident) and Open Enrollment (Non-Resident) Application Process
A. Application Timelines
1. Parents/legal guardians may apply for the current school year or the following school year only.
a) Priority Application period is October 15 through January 15 each school year.
b) If there are more applications than available seats, a lottery will be held following the January 15 deadline to determine which students will receive seats.
c) Applications will be accepted after the deadline and reviewed periodically. Open-Enrolled Non-Resident Students applying for the current school year may be enrolled immediately if space is available.
d) Students are approved for enrollment based on the capacity of the school they select. If space is not available in the preferred school, they may be offered another choice within the district.
e) Note: A timely application or a sibling attending the school of choice does not guarantee acceptance into the school of choice. Acceptance is based primarily on availability of space.
B. In-District Transfers only
1. During the school year, In-District transfer requests will be processed at the start of Trimesters only..
2. When a student has been accepted for an In-District Transfer or Open Enrollment, the student will remain enrolled in the school district (at the school assigned) unless the school district terminates enrollment in accordance with its policies and procedures or under one of the conditions listed in Section VI. In-District Transfer students may transfer back to their attendance area school.
3. The application deadline is established each year and is published in the Enrollment Services section of the district website at www.district279.org.
a) January 15: Applications are due (priority deadline).
b) End of January: Families sent notification of acceptance or denial by U.S mail.
c) Mid-February: Deadline for families to accept and to complete the enrollment process.
C. Acquiring an Application
1. The parent/legal guardian must complete a separate application for each student applying for in-district transfer or open enrollment.
2. Applications are available at:
a) The Osseo Area Schools Enrollment Center (7051 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Center, MN, 55429)
b) The school district website: www.district279.org
c) Magnet school applications are available online at www.nws.k12.mn.us (Northwest Suburban Integration School District website)
D. Submitting an Application
1. Each applicant may select first, second and third choice schools for admission.
2. If there is no space available at the first choice school but there is space available at a second choice school, the application for the second choice school will be accepted and the Enrollment Center will not place the student on a waiting list for the first choice school. If there is no space available at a first or second choice school but there is space available at a third choice school, the Enrollment Center will place the student at the third choice school and the Enrollment Center will not place the student on a waiting list for the first or second choice school.
3. If there is no space at any of the choices selected by the applicant, the Enrollment Center will place the student on the waiting list for the first choice school ranked by preference and then by date of receipt of the application. Any second choice applications are placed on a waiting list behind applicants who made that school their first choice and any third choice applications are placed behind the first and second choice applications on the waiting list for that school.
E. Application Approval
1. Applications will be approved only if there is space available at the requested school and/or grade level. If space is not available at the school of choice, the student will be offered enrollment at another school within the district. After the application deadline, the Enrollment Center will send a written notification to the parent/legal guardian at their address on record with information about whether the application has been accepted or denied. The Enrollment Center will mail the written notice approximately three weeks after the annual application deadline (January 15). If the application was denied, the student will be placed on a waiting list for the remainder of that school year.
2. If the application is approved, the parent/legal guardian must complete the enrollment process by the date contained in the notification.
a) The student will be assigned to a geographic attendance area (sometimes referred to as a continuing census area).
b) If the student changes residences and wishes to remain Open Enrolled, the student must submit information about the new address to the Enrollment Center.
3. If the application is not approved, the Enrollment Center will place the student’s name on the waiting list. The student’s application will be considered as space becomes available. A student will remain on a waiting list only for the remainder of the school year for which they applied. A new application will be required each school year.
F. Additional Documentation
1. Additional required documents include acceptable proof of address and photo identification. If the student is enrolling in prekindergarten or kindergarten the parent/legal guardian must provide proper age verification.
2. Specific items that satisfy these requirements are listed on the enrollment checklist found in the Enrollment Services section of the district website: www.district279.org
3. The parent/legal guardian can bring or submit the completed enrollment forms and the additional documents required to the Enrollment Center.
G. Approval Guidelines
1. If there are more applications than space available, applications will be approved in the following priority order for any spaces available. Random selection (or lottery) is used within each priority if the number of applications in each category exceeds the number of spaces available:
a) Sibling — If the applicant’s sibling already attends the requested school
b) Child Care (for elementary students only) — If the student’s childcare is in the attendance area of the requested school
c) Employee — If the student’s parent/legal guardian is employed by the school district
2. If a student is not selected for admission after an application deadline, the student will be placed on a waiting list ranked by priority as listed above and then by the date the application was received.
H. Matriculation from Elementary to Secondary Schools / Promotion to next level (5th to 6th and 8th to 9th).
1. In buildings where promotion to the next level is into a single school, In-District Transfer and Open-Enrolled students will be promoted to the next level building with their class.
2. In buildings where promotion to the next level is split between two or more schools, In-District Transfer and Open Enrolled students will be promoted to the next level school that corresponds to the continuing census area where the point of entry into the current school attendance area is located. The school district will determine the most direct route from the student’s home into the attendance area.
3. If the student wants to attend a school not assigned to either the student’s residence or the continuing census area, the student must apply for an In-District Transfer or Open Enrollment to that school.
I. Online Learning
1. Enrollment for online classes is subject to the same procedures used for enrollment in other classes.
IV. Boundary Changes for School Attendance Areas: In the event school attendance boundaries are changed in accordance with Policy 725:
A. Open Enrolled and in-district transfer students will be assigned to the school that serves the continuing census area to which each student is assigned at the time of Open Enrollment or reassigned if the parent or guardian changes residences during the time the student is Open Enrolled.
B. The school district will not authorize new transfer applications into schools affected by boundary changes for the first year the new boundary is in effect.
V. Transportation
A. When students are approved to attend a school outside of their regular attendance area, transportation is the responsibility of the parent/legal guardian. Transportation may be provided from an existing bus stop on the border of the school (in-district transfer) or border of the school district (open enrollment) under the following conditions:
1. The student registers with the school district Transportation Department for bus service each school year and is approved to use an existing stop.
2. Space is available on existing bus routes.
3. Parents/legal guardians accept ultimate responsibility for ensuring that their student can get safely to and from the assigned bus stop.
B. A parent/legal guardian of a student in a family living at or below the federal poverty level may seek reimbursement for the cost of transportation to school district schools. A parent/legal guardian who wishes to claim reimbursement must contact the Enrollment Center for instructions and assistance to claim reimbursement.
C. Magnet School Transportation
1. The school district will provide transportation within the school district to any elementary student attending a magnet school who lives more than 0.8 miles from the school and to any secondary student attending a magnet school who lives more than 1 mile from the school. Consistent with School District Policy 707.
VI. Termination of In-District Transfer or Open Enrollment
A. A. The school district will terminate the enrollment of an In-District Transfer or Open Enrolled student at the end of a school year if the student is a habitual truant, the student has been provided appropriate services to prevent truancy or educational neglect, and the student has been referred to juvenile court.
B. The school district will terminate the enrollment of a Non-Resident student over the age of 17 if the student is absent without lawful excuse for one or more periods on 15 school days and has not otherwise withdrawn from school.
C. The school district will terminate the enrollment of a Non-Resident student in accordance with its policies and procedures, including those that govern student discipline, or for failure to provide accurate information concerning the current residence of the student.
Revised 8/26/22
Revised 9/28/21
Revised: 6/24/21
Revised: 4/19/16
Revised: 12/9/14
Revised: 9/10/13
Revised: 12/20/
Adopted: 9/2/03
Legal References:
Minn. Stat. § 124D.03 Enrollment Options Program
Minn. Stat. § 124D.08 School Boards Approval to Enroll in Nonresident District Minn. Stat. § 124D.68 High School Graduation Incentives Program
Minn. Stat. § 260A Truancy Programs
Minn. Stat. § 260C.007 Subd. 19 Habitual Truant
O P: Atty Gen 180g, Dec. 27, 1928 Definition of Residence for School Attendance
Cross References:
725 Establishing School Attendance Boundaries