San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education
Board Policy 5117
Interdistrict Attendance
This Board Policy applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.
The Governing Board recognizes that parents/guardians of students who reside in one District may, for a variety of reasons, choose to enroll their child in a school in another District.
(cf. 0520.3 – Title I Program Improvement Districts)
(cf. 5111.1 – District Residency)
(cf. 5116.1 – Intradistrict Open Enrollment)
(cf. 5118 – Open Enrollment Act Transfers)
Interdistrict Attendance Permits
The Board may enter into an agreement with any other school District, for a term not to exceed five school years, for the interdistrict attendance of students who are residents of the districts. (Education Code 46600)
The agreement shall specify the terms and conditions under which interdistrict attendance shall be permitted or denied. It also may contain standards agreed to by both districts for reapplication and/or revocation of the student’s permit, including falsification of information stated on the permit application, unsatisfactory attendance, continual behavior infractions, or poor academic achievement. (Education Code 46600)
Upon receiving a permit for transfer into the District that has been approved by the student’s District of residence, or upon receiving a written request from the parent/guardian of a District student who wishes to enroll in another District, the Superintendent or designee shall review the request and may approve or deny the permit subject to the terms and conditions of the interdistrict attendance agreement.
Criteria for Granting and Prioritizing Interdistrict Permits
The Superintendent or designee shall establish administrative regulations governing the priorities for granting and prioritizing interdistrict permit requests when space is available. These regulations shall prioritize stabilizing a student’s educational experience and minimizing interruption of a student’s education or pathway to graduation that may result from changes in a parent or guardian’s employment, housing, family structure or child care needs. The Board recognizes the rapidly increasing cost of living to residents of the city of San Francisco which may force the out-migration of San Francisco families to surrounding cities in search of affordable housing. Therefore, the Superintendent or designee shall include in its administrative regulations a basis for granting an interdistrict permit to a student seeking to continue their education in the District upon a showing that the student’s parent or guardian was pushed out of the city of San Francisco under an low or no fault eviction process.
Upon receiving a permit for transfer into the District that has been approved by the student’s District of residence, or upon receiving a written request from the parent/guardian of a District student who wishes to enroll in another District, the Superintendent or designee shall review the request and may approve or deny the permit subject to the terms and conditions of the interdistrict attendance agreement. The Superintendent or designee shall grant or deny interdistrict permits on a year-to-year basis upon determination that the student continues to satisfy the conditions of the priority for granting the interdistrict permit and maintains satisfactory standards of academic progress, behavior, and attendance.
Transportation
The District is not required to provide transportation or transportation assistance to students admitted under an interdistrict attendance permit under. (Education Code 46600-46611), with limited exceptions.
Upon parent/guardian request, the District shall provide transportation assistance to a student receiving an interdistrict transfer who is eligible for free and reduced-price meals and is the child of an active duty military parent/guardian or a victim of bullying, as defined in Education Code 46600. (Education Code 46600)
(cf. 3553 – Free and Reduced Price Meals)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
8151 Apprentices, exemption from interdistrict attendance agreement
41020 Annual District audits
46600-46611 Interdistrict attendance agreements
48204 Residency requirements for school attendance
48300-48317 Student attendance alternatives, school District of choice program
48900 Grounds for suspension or expulsion; definition of bullying
48915 Expulsion; particular circumstances
48915.1 Expelled individuals: enrollment in another District
48918 Rules governing expulsion procedures
48980 Notice at beginning of term
48985 Notices to parents in language other than English
52317 Regional occupational center/program, enrollment of students, interdistrict attendance
CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION
Article 1, Section 31 Nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin
ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS
87 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 132 (2004)
84 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 198 (2001)
COURT DECISIONS
Walnut Valley Unified School District v. the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, (2011) 192 Cal.App.4th 234
Crawford v. Huntington Beach Union High School District, (2002) 98 Cal.App.4th 1275
Please note that compare references, or “cf”, refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.