Open enrollment is a cost-free option by which parents or guardians residing in an Iowa district may enroll their children into another Iowa school district under the terms and conditions of Iowa Code section 282.18 and Iowa Administrative Code 281-17 as amended by Senate File 2435, Division VIII which reinstates the March 1st open enrollment deadlines for all applicants as of July 1, 2024. Open enrollment applications and related information are available at all Iowa public school districts, Area Education Agencies, and the Iowa Department of Education.

Please see the Iowa Department of Education's Open Enrollment website for more information including the current Open Enrollment Application, Open Enrollment Handbook, and additional guidance.

If you have questions about open enrollment regulations, please contact Patty Escobedo, Administrative Assistant, at (319) 627-2116, or at pescobedo@wl.k12.ia.us

Families who meet certain income eligibility guidelines may qualify for transportation assistance from their resident district.

High School students who transfer school districts through open enrollment have a 90-school-day waiting period to participate in varsity athletic competition, although they may practice with the team during this time. However, the student may participate immediately in a varsity interscholastic sport if the student is entering grade nine for the first time and did not participate in an interscholastic athletic competition for another school or school district during the summer immediately following eighth grade.

• WHAT IS OPEN ENROLLMENT?

  • It is a cost-free option by which parents or guardians residing in an Iowa district may enroll their children into another Iowa school district under the terms and conditions of Iowa Code section 282.18 and the administrative rules contained in Iowa Administrative Code 281—17.

• HOW DOES A PARENT OR GUARDIAN FILE FOR OPEN ENROLLMENT?

  • If a parent or guardian wishes to open enroll their child(ren), they must follow the procedures outlined in the Application Information and Deadlines section. (Applications for students in grades 1-12 must be received by March 1 for the upcoming school year. Applications for Kindergarten students or for incoming preschool students who receive special education services requiring specially designed instruction (SDI) must be received by September 1 for the current school year.)

• DOES EACH CHILD NEED TO FILE AN APPLICATION?

  • Yes.

• WHO APPROVES OR DENIES OPEN ENROLLMENT REQUESTS?

  • Please see Which District Acts on an Open Enrollment Request? section of the Open Enrollment Handbook.

• DO I NEED TO FILE A NEW APPLICATION EACH YEAR?

  • No. Once an application is approved, your child may continue in the receiving district until they graduate, or you move from your resident district.

• WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION FOR AN OPEN ENROLLED STUDENT?

  • The parent or guardian is responsible for transporting the student to and from the receiving district, including if the student has an IEP and transportation is listed on the IEP. If a child open enrolls to a district that is contiguous to (or borders) the home district and the parents’ income meets economic eligibility requirements, the family may receive a stipend for transportation or be provided transportation by the resident district (Iowa Admin. Code r. 281—IAC 17.8). For additional information, see the transportation assistance guidance on the Transportation Assistance webpage.

• CAN MY REQUEST BE DENIED?

  • Generally, a request can be denied if there is no classroom space for the student, or if the student is under suspension or expulsion from his/her current school district. Open enrollment requests received after the deadline unless the parent or guardian is able to demonstrate good cause may also be denied.

• IF A PARENT OR GUARDIAN MISSES THE OPEN ENROLLMENT DEADLINE AND DOES NOT HAVE GOOD CAUSE MAY THEY STILL APPLY FOR OPEN ENROLLMENT?

  • Yes. “An application for open enrollment may be granted at any time with approval of the resident and receiving districts” (Iowa Code § 282.18, subsection 12A, as amended by Senate File 2435). This is a local decision requiring approval from both districts. The resident district acts first.

• WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS IF THE OPEN ENROLLMENT APPLICATION IS DENIED?

  • The parent or guardian may appeal the open enrollment decision. As a general rule, appeals of open enrollment decisions should be filed as an original court action in Iowa District Court.

• DO WE NEED TO OPEN ENROLL IF WE MOVE AND WANT TO REMAIN IN THE SAME SCHOOL DISTRICT?

  • Yes. You must file for open enrollment following your move, or you may be denied.

• WHAT IF WE MOVE TO ANOTHER DISTRICT AFTER WE FILE FOR OPEN ENROLLMENT AND WANT TO CONTINUE TO ATTEND IN THE CURRENT DISTRICT?

  • Simply send written notification to the new district, the resident district, and the current district that you wish to transfer your open enrollment to the new district. This applies to a move within the state of Iowa only. Out-of-state residents are not eligible for open enrollment and would need to pay tuition to continue.

NOTICE TO PARENTS:

1. If you move from the district you currently live in during the term of the open enrollment, it is your responsibility to notify your resident district and the district to which you are moving.

2. Approval for one child in a family does not guarantee approval for younger children in the same family. Each child in a family must have an open enrollment request filed for him/her.

   1. A student's total household income must be at or below the amount noted in Table 1 of the Open Enrollment Transportation Assistance document to be eligible for open enrollment transportation assistance. This may be in the form of actual transportation or reimbursement paid directly to you.

3. A pupil who transfers school districts under open enrollment, shall not be eligible to participate in varsity-level interscholastic contests and competitions during the first 90 school days of the transfer. For questions on eligibility please contact the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union at (515) 288-9741 or the Iowa High School Athletic Association at (515) 432-2011.

FOR DETAILS ON ANY OF THE ABOVE THREE ITEMS OF INFORMATION, CONTACT THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE at (319) 627-2116.

If your child has NOT been approved for open enrollment you may appeal the board decision by using the process below:

OPEN ENROLLMENT – APPEAL PROCESS

All appeals must be made to an Iowa District unless the application for open enrollment claims harassment or if the child has a serious health condition that the resident district cannot adequately address. If the application is denied by the resident district for either of these reasons, the parent/guardian may appeal to the State Board of Education using the process below. The appeal should be addressed to:

Administrative Law Judge

Iowa Department of Education

Grimes State Office Building

400 East 14th Street

Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146

The letter of appeal must be postmarked within 30 days of the board decision. The appeal letter must contain the following information:

• Name, address, and daytime phone number of the person appealing.

• Name and grade level of child(ren) involved in the appeal (in case of expulsion, open enrollment, suspension, etc.)

• Name of the school district making the board decision that is being appealed.

• Date the local board decision was made.

• A brief statement of reasons why the decision is being appealed.

• Notarized signature of the rperson appealing the decision.

• Other information may be included if desired.