A.  Age of Admission

Attending the schools of the district shall be recognized as a right and responsibility for those who meet the requirements prescribed by law. Every resident of the district who satisfies the minimum entry age requirement and is less than 21 years of age has the right to attend the district's schools until they complete high school graduation requirements. Children of age 8 and less than age 18 are required by law to attend a public school, an approved private school or educational center, unless they are receiving approved home-based instruction. Under certain circumstances children who are at least 16 and less than 18 years of age may be excused from further attendance at school. The superintendent shall exercise their authority to grant exceptions when they determine that the student:

1. Is lawfully and regularly employed, and
2. Has permission of a parent, or,
3. Is emancipated pursuant to Chapter 13.64 RCW; or
4. Is subject to one of the other exceptions to compulsory attendance. 

A resident student who has been granted an exception retains the right to enroll as a part-time student and shall be entitled to take any course, receive any ancillary services and take or receive any combination of courses and ancillary services which is offered by a public school to full-time students.

B.  Entrance Qualifications

Kindergarten

To be admitted to a kindergarten program which commences in the fall of the year, a child must be not less than five years of age prior to September l of that school year. These entry standards are established as a means of assuring optimal levels of success for all students, not only in kindergarten, but throughout their entire span of school years.

Exemptions

Exceptions to this standard are to be subjected to careful scrutiny and may be granted for students who have reached their fifth (5th) birthday on or before October 31 of the school year in which they seek entrance. Such exceptions shall be provided only upon verification that the individual student possesses advanced cognitive, social, physical, and emotional maturity sufficient to maintain a high level of success throughout kindergarten and the years following. The superintendent shall identify screening processes and instruments to provide reliable estimates of the child’s skills and abilities. Students who satisfy early entrance criteria shall be admitted to kindergarten on a temporary basis. A final determination shall be made no later than 30 calendar days following the student’s first day of attendance.

The deadline for kindergarten early entrance applications shall be June 1. The superintendent shall establish fees to cover expenses incurred in the administration of preadmission screening processes and provide a fee waiver or a reduction in fees for students whose families meet income requirements for the free and reduced lunch program.

Kindergarten early entrance decisions as well as fee assessments shall be subject to appeal. All appeals are to be made in writing and directed to the superintendent and/or designee who shall be responsible for reviewing the decisions(s) and arriving at a final determination.

First Grade

To be admitted to a first grade program which commences in the fall of the year a child must be not less than six years of age prior to September l of that school year.

Exemptions

Any student not otherwise eligible for entry to the first grade who has successfully completed a state-approved, public or private, kindergarten program of 450 or more hours, including instruction in the essential academic learning requirements and other subjects that the district determines are appropriate may be placed in a temporary classroom assignment for the purposes of evaluation prior to making a final determination of the student's appropriate placement. Such determination shall be made no later than the 30th calendar day following the student's first day of attendance.

First grade eligibility decisions shall be subject to appeal. All appeals are to be made in writing and directed to the superintendent and/or designee who shall be responsible for reviewing the decisions(s) and arriving at a final determination.

C.  Admission of Students Aged Twenty-One or Older

A student aged 21 or older may enroll in a school in the district under the following conditions: 

1. There is available space in the school and program which the student shall attend;
2. Tuition is prepaid;
3. The student provides their own transportation;
4. The student resides in the state of Washington; and
5. In the judgment of the superintendent, no adult education program is available at reasonable costs and the district's program is appropriate to the needs of the student.

 D.  Placement of Students on Admission

The decision of where to place a student seeking admission to the district rests with the principal.  Generally students meeting the age of admission requirements or transferring from a public or approved private school shall be placed in kindergarten or first grade, or the grade from which they transferred.  The principal shall evaluate the educational record and assessments of all other students to determine their appropriate placement.  A temporary classroom assignment may be made for no more than thirty calendar days for the purpose of evaluation prior to making the final placement decision.

Cross References: 
Board Policy 2090         Program Evaluation
                           2121         Substance Abuse Program
                           2140         Guidance and Counseling
                           2108         Remediation Programs
                           3114         Part-time, Home-based, or Off-campus Students
                           3121         Compulsory Attendance
                           3122         Excused and Unexcused Absences
                           4220         Complaints Concerning Staff or Program

Legal References:  
RCW 28A.225.010       Attendance mandatory – Age – Person having custody shall cause child to attend public school – When excused
       28A.225.020          School's duties upon juvenile's failure to attend school
       28A.225.160          Qualification for admission to district’s schools – Fees for preadmission screening
       28A.225.220          Adults, children from other districts, agreements for attending school – Tuition
         WAC 392-335      Uniform Entry Qualifications
       392-134-010         Attendance rights of part-time public school students
             392-137            Finance – Nonresident attendance

Management Resources:   
Policy News, April 2006         Entrance to School Policy Changes
Policy News, Aug. 1999          Districts may set K-screening fees

ADOPTED: 07/22/1997
REVISED: 5/25/06; 3/22/07; 12/20/07; 4/28/16

Procedure No. 3110P Admission and Attendance

Entrance Qualifications

The following procedures shall be utilized to process individual requests for early entrance to kindergarten.

1. Parents/guardians will submit an application and screening form to the home school between May 1 and June 1.
2. After the completed application and screening form have been received by the home school, a conference will be scheduled between the parents and the principal to discuss early entrance procedures, kindergarten expectations, and program philosophy and structure. If parents wish to proceed with the process, they will pay a teacher screening fee and sign permission for individual child screening (the fee may be reduced for students whose families meet income requirements for the free or reduced lunch program). The first of two appointments will be scheduled for the child at that time.
3. During the first appointment, a kindergarten teacher will observe and assess the child in multiple areas. If the child meets standard on the teacher screening, they will be referred to the school psychologist for further testing and will pay a second screening fee at that time (this fee may also be reduced for students whose families meet income requirement for the free or reduced lunch program). 
4. If the child does not meet standard on the teacher screening, they will not be referred on to the school psychologist, and the early entrance screening process will conclude. The child will be required to enroll in kindergarten the following year. 
5. If the student meets standard on both the teacher and psychologist assessments, they shall be admitted to kindergarten for a four-week trial period. 
6. Determination of final placement in kindergarten shall be the decision of the school principal.

Appeal Procedures

Early entrance decisions as well as fee assessments shall be subject to appeal. All appeals are to be made in writing and directed to the superintendent and/or designee who shall be responsible for reviewing the decisions(s) and arriving at a final determination.

Admission of Students Aged Twenty-One or Older

The student shall petition the superintendent for admission.

The petition shall identify the student's name, age, address and grade level or program of study.

If approved, the petition shall specify the tuition fee to be paid, shall be signed by the student and the superintendent and shall consti­tute the written agreement required by law. It shall be retained as a public document and made available to the state superintendent of public instruction upon request.

The tuition fee shall be calculated in the same way the state superintendent of public instruction determines the cost of educating a student in the district, except that a handicapped student who turns twenty-one during the school year shall only pay that amount of money deemed as "excess cost."

ADOPTED:  9/24/92
REVISED: 10/22/98; 10/28/99; 5/25/06; 3/22/07; 4/28/16