The following students who are not residents of the District may enroll without payment of tuition:

1. Orphaned children or children with only one living parent.
2. Children whose parents/guardians do not contribute to the support of the child.
3. Children who participate in an American Field Service or similar foreign exchange program subject to District approval and provided that the student resides in the home of a District resident.
4. Children whose parent/guardian owns real property within the District, but who reside outside of District boundaries. Such children may attend school upon payment of tuition, which will be reduced by the amount of real estate tax paid by the child's parent/ guardian for School District purposes.
   Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, any current owner of residential real property or agricultural real property or the beneficiary of a trust owning such property who pays a school tax to the District but who resides in another school district may send up to four (4) of such owner’s children to District schools without payment of tuition provided:
   1. The residential real property does not include a multi-family property which exceed four units.
   2. The owner must reside in the County in which the District resides.
   3. Owner provides proof of the payment of at least Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) in school taxes to the District for not less than the immediately preceding four (4) consecutive years.
   4. Owner has owned the real property located in the District for not less than the preceding four years prior to application.
   5. Owner provides 30 days written notice of their intent to enroll children in the District.
   
   The District will not be responsible for providing transportation for such children. Such students will be counted of the District’s ADA under Chapter 163.
5. Children whose parents/guardians own and reside upon property at least eighty (80) acres of which are used for agricultural purpose, provided at least thirty-five percent (35%) of the property is within the District.
6. Inter-district desegregation students.
7. Students of District teachers or regular District employees.
8. Homeless students.
9. Wards of the state.
10. Students placed in a residential care facility.
11. Students attending regional or cooperative alternative education programs.
12. Non-domiciliary students placed for treatment at a facility/program within the District. See Policy 2240 – Admission and Tuition – Non-Resident Students.

The administration may investigate the eligibility of children attending schools under the provisions of this regulation.

Admission of Students from Unaccredited School Districts

The District will accept students seeking to transfer enrollment from a school district in the same or adjoining county that has been declared unaccredited by the State of Missouri in accordance with the following guidelines:

Tuition

The Board of Education of the school district that has been declared unaccredited will be responsible for payment of tuition to the District for each transfer student(s) accepted under this policy.  The rate of tuition will be calculated in accordance with the District’s per pupil cost, calculated in accordance with Missouri Revised Statute §167.131.   Tuition from the transferring school district must be received by the beginning of each semester. 

Applications for Enrollment

Parents or legal guardians seeking to transfer the enrollment of their child(ren) to the District in accordance with this policy, must be a resident of a school district that has been declared unaccredited.  The term “resident” will be interpreted in accordance with Missouri law.  Upon a request for transfer to the District pursuant to this policy, the District has the right to seek information verifying the student’s residency status in the unaccredited district.  

Parents or legal guardians seeking to transfer enrollment to the District must send notification to their school district of residence and the District of their intent to enroll their child(ren). Applications for enrollment for the 2013-2014 school year must be received in the District’s Central Office by August 1^st and by February 1^st of each year thereafter.    

Parents or legal guardians seeking enrollment in the District pursuant to this policy will be required to complete District enrollment forms and provide information related to residency, academic, age, immunization, health, student discipline status, and other eligibility prerequisites as established by Board policies, rules and regulations, and by state law.  Students will not be permitted to enroll in the District pursuant to this policy if the student has been convicted or charged with any offense outlined in the Missouri Safe Schools Act, §167.171 RSMo. 

Applications for enrollment will be considered in order of receipt by the District’s Central Office.  The District will give preference to siblings of current transfer students already attending the District. Nonresident students from unaccredited schools may be permitted to attend the District based upon District capacity and availability of space in student grade level. Availability is based upon District class size and student-teacher ratios.  Based upon an average class size at grade level for the previous five years, the acceptable average class size for the District at grade level is:

• Kindergarten | 18-20
• Grades 1-2 | 20-22
• Grades 3-5 | 23-25
• Grades 5-8 | 20-25
• Grades 9-12 | 20-25

(The exact class size will vary from district to district).

School placement will be determined solely at the Superintendent or his/her designee’s discretion. 

Transportation

The District is not responsible for transportation of students enrolling from an unaccredited school district.  If the unaccredited school district has selected the District as a school district to which it will provide transportation, it is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to make transportation arrangements with their home school district. 

Activities

As provided, regulations of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) students transferring from an unaccredited high school pursuant to §167.241 are eligible to participate in interscholastic MSHSAA activities sponsored by the receiving District.  However, the District will not provide transportation to student transfers related to activity practice.

Reaccreditation

If the unaccredited school district where a student resides regains its accreditation, the student may remain in the District only until the end of the current school year, subject to the payment of tuition by the unaccredited school district.

Board Approved Date: October 16, 2023

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