Policy 5330 – Assignment of Students to Schools

Students whose legal residence is within an individual school boundary must enroll in the building designated for that attendance area and respective grade level, unless enrolled in a district choice school or program per enrollment protocols.

Students who reside within an attendance area established for a specific school shall have enrollment rights at that school. These are designated “resident” students in relation to their assigned boundary school.

Requests for transfers of students to schools, other than the school to which they are assigned, may be initiated by either the parent/guardian or administration. These requests will be communicated by schools and processed through the Office of School Leadership.

LEGAL REF.:

  • Wisconsin Statutes
    • Sections 120.12(2) School Board duties – general supervision
    • 120.13 School Board [power to do all things reasonable for cause of education]
    • PI 23, Wisconsin Administrative Code [Student safe school transfer options]
  • McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act [School placement options for homeless children and youth]
  • No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 [Transfer options for students in schools in need of improvement]

CROSS REF.:

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION: None

AFFIRMED: August 13, 1991

REVISED:

  • October 25, 1994
  • February 13, 1995
  • February 11, 1997
  • January 27, 1998
  • February 11, 2003
  • November 25, 2003
  • February 24, 2004
  • November 28, 2006
  • May 27, 2008
  • May 27, 2025

Rule 5330 – Assignment of Students to Schools

  1. Annual Enrollment Procedures
    1. The District will utilize an online registration platform integrated with the student information system.  Parents and guardians are required to submit their online student registration application each year for all students, before the start of the upcoming school year.  The window for submission will be communicated and open by mid-February for the upcoming school year.  All applications will be processed and any submitted change in resident address will be verified through approved resident artifacts.  The criteria and resources for resident verification can be found on the KUSD website section for registration.
  2. School Transfer Requests – All Grades
    1. General Requirements
      1. Requests for a student transfer to a school, other than that to which the student is assigned, may be initiated by either the parent/guardian or administration.
      2. Transfer requests at the middle school and high school level based on athletic reasons or participation will not be granted. Students who obtain a transfer after attending one or more days of school, or one or more athletic practices at the school the student is leaving, is ineligible for participation in the athletic program at the school transferred to for the remainder of that year.
      3. Athletes who transfer from any school into a member school after the fourth consecutive semester following entry into grade 9 shall be ineligible for practice and competition for one calendar year, unless the transfer is the result of a verified change in residence by the parent(s) which demonstrates the new residence is assigned to that school’s boundary area. The calendar year will be determined from a student’s last day of attendance at athletic practice.
      4. Students who are granted transfers must provide their own transportation unless otherwise provided by law (e.g., student is eligible for transportation services via the IEP process) or Board policy.  Transportation will be provided based on the District’s transportation policies.
      5. Existing transfers are subject to review on an annual basis prior to June 1st of each year by the principal.  Poor attendance would be a factor in this decision.
    2. Parent Initiated Transfer (PIT) Requests
      1. Annually, the District may approve school transfer requests initiated by emancipated students and/or their parents/guardians as required by law.  Students and their parents/guardians will be notified of school transfer opportunities that may be available to them consistent with legal requirements.
      2. Other parent initiated school transfer requests will be processed and prioritized as follows:
        1. Except as otherwise provided, parent initiated requests for student transfers from one school to another within the District will be accepted from March 1 through March 21 for the following school   No applications submitted after March 21will be considered.
        2. At all grade levels, space availability is determined using District Policy 6432 Class Size and allocated staffing for the following school year. Classroom projections within two students of this policy limit is considered full.
        3. Existing PIT enrollments will not be required to submit new applications. By default, any existing approved PIT transfers will be expected to continue at that assigned school, unless an administrative change is processed.
        4. Transfer requests for siblings of existing students will have priority.
        5. If transfer requests outnumber seats available, a lottery will be held.
        6. Students who move to a new district residency and obtain a new boundary school at any time after the school year has begun will be given the opportunity to complete their current school year at the prior resident boundary school. If the student is enrolled in grades 4 or 7 or 11, they will be given the option to remain for that school year and the following school year.  If a student has moved to a newly confirmed boundary school and is any other grade level than grades 4 or 7 or 11, they must complete a parent initiated transfer request during the March 1 – March 21 window if they wish to remain. That request will be processed in accordance with the priorities above.
        7. All parent initiated requests will first require the approval of the sending principal. If the sending principal approves the transfer, it is then forwarded to the receiving principal for his/her approval.  The receiving principal returns the form to the sending school.  A letter will be sent to the parent(s)/guardian/caregiver informing them of the decision prior to May 1, of each year.
        8. Students are eligible to receive only one non-resident boundary parent initiated transfer per school year.
        9. KUSD community families who are not currently enrolled in Kenosha Unified School District, may complete a parent initiated transfer request, however, accepted non-KUSD families must complete KUSD enrollment—including providing proof of address documentation–no later than June 1 to maintain their acceptance.
    3. Administrative Initiated Transfer
      1. Principal initiated requests will be based on allowable documented student needs. Principals within the District have the ability to process a student transfer based on mutual approval and documentation of the need for the transfer.  The final transfer order will be documented within the student information system.
      2. Nothing in the PIT process noted above will preclude the Office of School Leadership of the authority to process an administrative transfer, as long as there is a record of the transfer and documented reason thereof.

Consideration for rescinding any student transfer will include a review of the origination request and documented rationale.

KUSD students who are enrolled in any school that is not their assigned boundary school always retain the right to enroll in their boundary school, and any request to enroll in their assigned boundary school shall be granted at any point during the school year.