Administrative Rules and Procedures to Implement Policy 502.12

Intra-District Attendance Options

  1. Eligibility
    1. All students currently attending the district are eligible to apply for an Intra-District transfer.
  2. Transfer Limitations
    1. Students are permitted to transfer only one time during their entire enrollment in the school district. This limitation applies from the student’s initial enrollment through graduation.
    2. Once a transfer has been approved and completed, the student will not be eligible for another Intra-District transfer, regardless of the reason.
    3. If a student approved for an Intra-District Transfer subsequently wishes to return to the school of residence, they are permitted to do so prior to the first day of school. However, the student shall not be issued a second Intra-District Transfer prior to graduation unless by exception for transfer requests permitted. Once an Intra-District Transfer has been issued, the District will make every effort to allow the student to continue in that building. However, the District reserves the right to reassign any student under these provisions if enrollment growth in the building makes it necessary to move students.
    4. An exception may be approved if the student for whom the application is submitted will have a sibling in the building during the year for which the student is applying. This exception may be approved even if the grade level and/or building is at or above capacity.
    5. Once an Intra-District Transfer has been issued, the student will follow the assigned feeder school pathway to middle school and high school buildings.
    6. Transportation is not provided by the Elkhorn Public Schools.
  3. Application Process
    1. Application Period: Applications for intra-district transfers will be accepted during a designated period each year, typically in the spring for the upcoming school year. Specific dates will be communicated annually by the District, along with intra-district slots available across the District as approved by the Board of Education annually. Applications must be submitted no later than April 1. After April 1, the Superintendent may consider additional hardship transfer requests.
    2. Submission: All applications must be submitted by the parent/guardian to the District’s Student Services Department. Application forms will be available on the District website.
    3. Required Information: The application form will require information such as student name, current school, requested school, reason for transfer, and parent/guardian contact information.
  4. Approval Process
    1. Review: Applications will be reviewed by the Superintendent or designee.
    2. Criteria for Approval: Transfers will be approved based on the following criteria:
      1. Availability of space at the requested school in the student’s grade level and specific programs (e.g., special education, gifted programs).
      2. Enrollment projections for both the sending and receiving schools.
      3. Students of certificated staff members will receive the highest priority.
      4. Unique family circumstances/hardships, if applicable and documented.
      5. The policy committee reserves the right to deviate from attendance center assignments on an individual student basis when it is determined to be in the best educational interest of the student
      6. Notification: Parents/guardians will be notified in writing of the decision regarding their transfer request by April 25th.
      7. Waitlist: If more requests are received than available spaces, a waitlist will be established based on the date of application submission.
  5. Standards for Acceptance or Rejection of Option Students
    1. Special Education Capacity:
      When determining eligibility for transfers, the district will evaluate the capacity for special education services on a case-by-case basis. This includes considering the needs of students with disabilities who have a parent or guardian who is a certificated staff member. If an application for option enrollment received by the school district indicates that the student has an individualized education program under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq., or has been diagnosed with a disability as defined in section 79-1118.01, the application will be evaluated by the Director of Special Education services or the director’s designee who must determine if the school district and the appropriate class, grade level, or school building has the capacity to provide the applicant the appropriate services and accommodations. The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Rights Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g) permits the release of education records when a student seeks or intends to enroll in a different school district.
    2. Numeric Capacity:
      The superintendent or designee will evaluate the numeric capacity of programs, classes, grade levels, or school buildings by operation of this policy and will assign students where capacity is available. Numeric Capacity will be determined based upon available staff, facilities, projected enrollment of resident students, and projected number of students with which the option school district will contract based on existing contractual arrangements. Capacity for Intra-District transfer will be reviewed and set annually by the Board of Education.
    3. Programmatic Capacity:
      In addition to the numeric capacity standards referred to above, the superintendent or designee may declare a program, a class, or a school unavailable for the next school year to option students due to a lack of capacity.
    4. Other Standards for Acceptance or Rejection of Option Enrollment Applications: In addition to the numeric and programmatic capacity standards outlined above, the school district shall not accept an option student when acceptance of the student:
      1. Would increase the operating costs of the school district, such as by requiring the hiring of new staff or contracting with outside entities to provide services to the student;
      2. Would require the procurement of new equipment, technology, or furnishings, as determined by the Superintendent;
      3. Would cause or require the rearrangement of caseloads for staff and contracted professionals;
      4. In addition to these standards, the school district may deny or cancel the acceptance of any intra-district transfer request when the applicant has not provided all necessary information and documentation to initiate or complete the enrollment process.
    5. Hardships:
      The Policy Committee reserves the right to deviate from attendance center assignments on an individual student basis when it is determined to be in the best educational interest of the student.
    6. Prohibited Standards:
      The school district shall not base the decision to accept or reject an option student on the student’s previous academic achievement, athletic or other extracurricular ability, disabling condition(s), proficiency in the English language, or previous disciplinary proceedings.
  6. Order of Acceptance
    If there are more intra-district student applicants for any program, class, grade level or school building than can be accepted into such program, class, grade level or school building, applicants shall be accepted through a lottery system; however, students of certificated staff members will be exempt from the lottery system and will be acted upon before the lottery.
  7. False of Misleading Option Application
    If, prior to the student’s intra-district transfer, the school district discovers that a previously accepted option application contained false or substantively misleading information, the application will be rejected.
  8. Authority of Superintendent
    The Board of Education authorizes the superintendent or designee to make decisions pursuant to this policy and to apply the criteria articulated by this policy in determining whether to grant or deny enrollment applications through this program.
  9. Transportation
    Transportation is not provided by Elkhorn Public Schools.
  10. Post-Transfer Expectations
    Once a transfer is approved, the student is expected to remain at the chosen school for the remainder of their time in the district, subject to the one-time transfer limitation. Transportation to and from the chosen school will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian.
  11. Certified Staff Expectations
    If the district transfers the staff member to another building, an additional Intra-District Transfer can be considered for hardship approval by the superintendent or designee. If a program, class, or grade level is at capacity, the certificated staff member’s student may be placed on a waitlist, if applicable, and will have priority the following year if capacity allows.
  12. Policy Review
    This policy will be reviewed annually by the District Administration and School Board to ensure its effectiveness and fairness.

 

Approved: February 9, 2026