FILE:  JBCC

Cf:  JBC, JBCD

STUDENT ASSIGNMENT

ATTENDANCE ZONE REQUIREMENTS

The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall have authority and responsibility for the assignment, placement, transfer, and continued education of all students attending schools within its jurisdiction.  A student shall generally attend the school within his/her residential area, if not specifically contrary to the provisions of an order of a court of competent jurisdiction providing for the assignment of students within the school system.  The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall assign a student to attend any public school requested by a parent and/or guardian responsible for the student's school attendance when the requested school has space available and is of a suitable grade level, and the child resides not more than one mile from such school measured by the distance traveled on public streets or highways, or by the boundary of a subdivision.  These provisions shall apply regardless of parish boundaries, and the East Feliciana Parish School Board shall work with other respective school boards to ensure compliance herewith.

The Superintendent shall coordinate methods and means deemed feasible to identify all East Feliciana Parish Public School students who are crossing attendance school zone lines in violation of the federal court's desegregation order or School Board assignment, to take all steps necessary to see that those students attend a school within their proper school zone, to prevent any further crossing of attendance/school zone lines by whatever means deemed necessary or appropriate by the Superintendent, and to report the results of such actions to the East Feliciana Parish School Board.

The Superintendent and staff shall prepare an appropriate residency statement form to be completed and signed by each parent and/or guardian of a student attending public schools in East Feliciana Parish, which will affirmatively designate the correct location of the residence of each student so attending school within their appropriate attendance/school zone.

The residency statement forms shall be submitted to, required completed and filed with the school, by all parents and/or guardians when school opens, relating on behalf of students attending the same school as last year that there has been no change in their place of residence.  Parents and/or guardians of all students attending a different school or any new students enrolling in the Parish shall be required to indicate their place of residence by virtue of completion of a residency statement form (parent and/or a guardian signature required) and indication by placement of an "x" on the copy of a map on the reverse of the residency statement form.

The East Feliciana Parish School Board mandates that the principal of each public school in the Parish take the necessary steps to ascertain that no student attends a public school in the Parish outside their proper attendance zone.  The principal of each public school in the Parish shall also immediately notify the Superintendent and/or designee and follow-up with written documentation on any and all students attending school outside their proper residential area and/or school zone.

Any child temporarily residing within the district who has no permanent address, or who has been abandoned by his/her parent, or who is in foster care, shall be enrolled and allowed to attend school in the zone appropriate to the special circumstance of the child.  Surrogate parents may be appointed when appropriate for special needs students.

The Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance or such other supervisory members of the School Board staff designated by the Superintendent shall be authorized and directed to supervise the administration of the system of attendance of public school students within their proper school zones, and to receive complaints concerning violations of rules and orders concerning school zone attendance and/or lines.

LEGAL CUSTODY

Legal custody is defined as the legal status created by a court order which establishes in a custodian the right to have physical custody of the child or minor.  Beginning with the January, 2022 school semester, the East Feliciana Parish School Board shall no longer accept students under provisional custody.  Students enrolled under provisional custody arrangements prior to the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year shall be allowed to remain in the school system until they graduate.  In accordance with Louisiana law, provisional custody by mandate can only be awarded for a period not to exceed one year.  As a result, a new provisional custody by mandate form must be submitted each year.  In the event that a new provisional custody by mandate form is not submitted in any year, then legal custody of the student shall revert to the person who granted provisional custody and the child shall be assigned to the school serving the residence of that individual.

The school principal or designee shall be responsible for monitoring the school enrollment list and shall immediately terminate and/or transfer an unauthorized student.

Subject to any existing federal court orders, the East Feliciana Parish School Board shall have the authority to determine student residency for school attendance and school transportation purposes (La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:104.1).  Consistent with such authority, the address of a student's parent(s) or legal guardian(s) shall determine the school to which the student will be assigned.

In the event that the parent or legal guardian gives custody of the student to another through a court order then the student shall be assigned to school based on the residence address of the person to whom custody has been awarded.  Documentation supporting changes in custody of students must be submitted to the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance. School system employee(s) shall have the authority to review such legal documentation and to make home visits to verify that the student is actually living with the person to whom custody has been awarded.  In the event that it is determined that the child is not actually residing with the person to whom custody has been awarded, then the School Board shall have the right to transfer and/or reassign the student.

The person who enrolls the child in school (parent, legal guardian, or provisional custodian) shall be responsible for all of the parenting responsibilities of the child related to school activities, such as attending conferences, signing report cards, participating in the school discipline process and for those students riding school buses, ensuring that they get to their "pick up" location before school and get home from their "drop off' location after school.  The "pick up" and "drop off' locations for each student shall be based on the residence address of the person who has custody of the child at that time.  The authorization of medical treatment of the child will remain with the parent or legal guardian.

Any child temporarily residing within the district who has no permanent address, or who has been abandoned by his/her parent, or who is in foster care, shall be enrolled and allowed to attend school in the zone appropriate to the special circumstance of the child.  Surrogate parents may be appointed when appropriate for special needs students.

VERIFICATION OF DOMICILE

The School Board shall require verification of domicile of those students whose residence is suspected to be outside the attendance zone of the school the student is attending. When investigating the domicile of a student, the School Board shall attempt to verify the primary place of residence of the legal parent or legal or provisional guardian.  Such verification of domicile shall be based on such items as the following:

1. Voter registration card of parent or custodian, or
   
   

2. Property tax statement of parent or custodian showing homestead exemption, or
   
   

3. Certified copy of any judicially ordered tutorship, custody or guardianship of any minor child student not domiciled or in the custody of their natural and/or legal parents. Verification of the physical residency of the legal custodian, tutor/tutrix or non-parent shall also be required, or
   
   

4. Any other documentation as may be stipulated by the School Board.

ASSIGNMENT OF STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONALITIES

Unless the Individualized Education Program (IEP) of a student with an exceptionality, except a gifted and talented student, requires some other arrangement, the School Board shall require the student with such an exceptionality to be educated in the school that the student would attend if he/she did not have an exceptionality.  However, if the educational needs of the student cannot be achieved satisfactorily in a regular class setting, the student may be placed in an educational environment designed to meet the appropriate needs of the student, as determined by the IEP committee.

However, a student with an exceptionality, except a gifted and talented student, shall be assigned to a school as requested by the parent, in accordance with La, Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:1944, if all the following conditions are met:

1. The parent submits a written request to the School Board responsible for the student and the respective School Board having jurisdiction over the school being requested, by not later than April first of the school year preceding the school year for which the parent is requesting the school assignment.  The request shall include a recommendation from at least two (2) licensed physicians who have treated the student during the year prior to the submission of the request.
   
   

2. The School Board responsible for the student and the respective School Board having jurisdiction over the school being requested by the parent enter into an agreement for the assignment of the student to the requested school.
   
   

3. The requested school is located at least ten (10) miles from the school to which the student is assigned, in accordance with applicable school attendance zone requirements.
   
   

4. The requested school is located at least fifteen (15) miles from the student's home.
   
   

5. The requested school is not located in a public school district in which fifty percent (50%) or more of the public schools in the district are charter schools and fifty percent (50%) or more of the public schools in the district participate in a single application and enrollment process for public school enrollment.

STUDENTS OF DISTRICT EMPLOYEES

As a benefit to the employees of the East Feliciana Parish School Board, employees may elect to have their school age child/children attend the school site/zone where they are employed.

An employee may not change the elected school of attendance during any given school year unless there in a change in that employee's assignment that would necessitate such movement.

CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT

Student assignments in K through 8 will be made by the principal of the school with teacher input.  The placement of a student shall be based on grades, achievement test scores, and participation in special programs and be made in accordance with the East Feliciana Parish Pupil Progression Plan.

Selection of courses of study in grades 9 through 12 shall be made by individual students. Assistance in planning course of study and selection of classes shall be provided by teachers, counselors, and administrators.  Each student shall be furnished a schedule of classes offered and requirements for graduation.  Some classes may have prerequisites for enrollment.

In grades kindergarten through second grade, the parent of twins, triplets, etc. (more than one child at a single birth event) may request that their children be placed initially in the same, or separate, classrooms, if the children are in the same grade at the same school.  Such a request shall be presented to the Superintendent or his/her designee no later than fourteen (14) days either after the first day of the school year or after the first day of attendance if the child enrolls after the fourteenth day of the school year.  Notwithstanding any law, rule, regulation, or School Board policy to the contrary, the request of the parent for initial placement shall be granted subject to further review.

As soon as possible after the end of the student's first grading period, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall review the initial placement of the child.  If the Superintendent or his/her designee, in consultation with the school principal, the child's(ren's) teacher(s), and the parent, determines that the initial placement of the children is disruptive to the school or is not in the best educational interests of the child(ren), the initial placement of the child shall be modified, and the child(ren) shall be placed in accordance with School Board policy otherwise applicable to the child(ren).

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§9:951, 9:952, 9:953, 9:954, 17:15, 17:81, 17:104.1, 17:221.2, 17:221.4, 17:221.5, 17:238, 17:1944

La. Civil Code, Art. 38, Art. 39, Art. 41, Art. 43, Art. 44

Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators, Bulletin 741, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 8-14-73, 8-6-74, 10-3-78, 2-5-91, 5-7-91, 2-2-93, 8-1-95, 5-4-99, 12-2-08, 6-1-10, 3-1-11, 2-7-17, 1-11-22

East Feliciana Parish School Board