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Admissions Policy

6.2.2 Admission to Schools

  1. Resident Students – School-age children who reside within the municipal limits of the City of Tuscumbia, Alabama, may be admitted to Tuscumbia City Schools.  For purposes of this policy, the residence of the student will be the residence of the custodial parent or legal guardian.  If custody of the child is shared, alternating, or unclear, of if the child does not reside with a custodial parent or legal guardian, the domicile or actual physical residence of the child will control, except when there is evidence that the claimed residence of the child is not his actual residence, or that the claimed residence is fraudulently given as a means of avoiding or violating admission, enrollment, attendance, and residency standards and requirements.
     
  2. Non-resident Students –Students who do not reside within the city limits of the City of Tuscumbia may apply for enrollment in the Tuscumbia City Schools.  There is no tuition charge.  
All out-of-district applicants who are permitted to attend Tuscumbia City Schools shall complete school registration forms.  Applications for out-of-district enrollment shall be considered on a "first-come, first-served" basis.  In situations in which space is limited, priority will be given to a student who:
  1. Was enrolled in a school in Tuscumbia City Schools the previous year; 
  2. Has a sibling enrolled at the requested school; 
  3. Has a parent or legal guardian employed by Tuscumbia City Schools. 
Factors which may cause an out-of-district enrollment to be denied include:
  1. A school, grade or program(s) has a lack of available space, staff or support services, taking in-district enrollment projections into consideration; 
  2. The school requested does not offer appropriate programs, is not structured or equipped with the necessary facilities to meet the needs of the student, or does not offer a particular program requested; 
  3. The student does not meet the established eligibility criteria for participation in a particular program including age requirements, course prerequisites, and required levels of academic performance;  
  4. The student has been suspended or expelled from school, or is in the process of being expelled; 
  5. The student has withdrawn from a school to avoid possible suspension of expulsion; 
  6. The student has a history of documented disciplinary infractions within the past three (3) years; 
  7. The student has been adjudicated or convicted of a crime;
  8. The student has a record of excessive absences or truancy from school; or 
  9. Information on the enrollment application was misrepresented or incomplete. 
The out-of-district approval process is as follows:
  1. The parent or guardian must submit a completed application and provide any and all supplemental information requested by the District.  
  2. The receiving school principal and/or Special Education Director makes a recommendation to approve or not approve the enrollment application. 
  3. The recommendation is sent to the Superintendent. 
  4. The Superintendent approves or denies the request. 
An approved application shall be valid for one year only.  All non-residents must apply each year. 

The Tuscumbia City School District reserves the right to revoke the enrollment status of an out-of-district student at any time because of unacceptable behavior or because of false, misleading or incomplete information on the enrollment application.  In the event of a revocation, the Superintendent or designee shall inform the parent/guardian of the circumstances which resulted in the revocation decision.  There is no appeal process; the decision of the Superintendent is final. 
 
c. Admission Policy for Homeless, Migratory, Immigrant, and Limited English Proficient Students – All homeless, migrant, and immigrant students, children in foster care, and English language learners will have equal access to the same free appropriate public education, including public preschool education, provided to other children and youth and will be provided the opportunity to meet the same challenging state content and state student performance standards to which all students are held without being stigmatized or isolated.

The enrollment of homeless, migrant, and immigrant students, children in foster care, and limited English proficient children and youth shall not be denied or delayed due to any barriers that are specifically prohibited by applicable law, which may include the following:
 
  • Lack of birth certificate
  • Lack of school records or transcripts
  • Lack of immunization or health records
  • Lack of proof of residency
  • Lack of transportation
  • Guardianship or custody requirements
  • Lack of social security card
d.Homeless Students –
  1.  Enrollment.  Homeless students will be permitted to enroll without regard to residency status and will not be denied services offered to other students in the school system.  Homeless students may also be entitled to other accommodations under federal law.
     
    Homeless students will continue in the school they attended before becoming homeless for the duration of their homelessness, or for the remainder of the academic year if the student becomes permanently housed during an academic year.  Otherwise, a homeless student may be enrolled in any school in the system that non-homeless students who live in the attendance area in which the student is living are eligible to attend.
  2. Dispute Resolution.   When a dispute arises regarding school placement, the system will immediately enroll the homeless student in the school in which enrollment is sought by the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth, pending resolution of the dispute.  The school will provide the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth with a written explanation of the decision, a statement of the right to appeal, and the procedure for appealing the placement decision.  The principal of the school will notify the Board’s Homeless Liaison of the dispute.
     
  3. The Homeless Liaison will expeditiously carry out the system’s dispute resolution procedures as detailed in the Board’s homeless student plan.
     
e. Students in Foster Care –
A student in foster care will enroll or remain in the student’s school of origin, unless it is determined that remaining in the school of origin in not in such student’s best interest.

If it is not in a student’s best interest to stay in the school of origin, a student in foster care may be enrolled in any school in the system that serves the attendance area in which the student is living, even if the student is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment.  The school system will immediately contact the school last attended by the student to obtain relevant academic and other records.

[Reference:  20 U.S.C. §§6311(g)(1)(E)]

f. Placement of Students – The Board will determine the placement of newly enrolled students in accordance with state law.