Children who are residents of the school district community will attend the school district without paying tuition.

The residence of a student means the place, abode, or dwelling of the student.  Generally, the legal dwelling of minors is the same as their parents.  However, a student may establish a dwelling with someone other than the parents and attend public school in the school district without paying tuition if the primary purpose for residing in the school district is not for the purpose of obtaining a free public education.  Further, students who have reached the age of majority and who are still eligible to attend an Iowa secondary school may declare their residence independent of the residence of the parents.

Each case involving the bona fide residence of a student will be decided upon its individual merits by the superintendent.

 

 

Legal Reference:  Lakota Cons. Ind. School v. Buffalo Center-Rake Comm. School, 334 N.W.2d 704 (Iowa 1983).
                                     Mt. Hope School Dist. v. Hendrickson, 197 N.W. 47 (Iowa 1924).
                                     Oshel v. Creston Comm. School Dist., DPI Admin. Doc. 570 (1981).
                                     33 D.P.I. Dec. Rule 80 (1984).
                                     Iowa Code §§ 257.6; 282.2, .6, .7; 285.4 (2003).
                                    1956 Op. Att'y Gen. 185.
                                    1946 Op. Att'y Gen. 197.
                                    1938 Op. Att'y Gen. 69.
                                    1930 Op. Att'y Gen. 147.

Cross Reference:  102      School District Instructional Organization
                              501      Student Attendance

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  07/21/2008, 09/16/2013, 11/19/2018, 11/27/2023

Revised:

 

Students who are eligible to attend an Iowa public school but who are not legal residents of the school district may be admitted into the school district at the discretion of the superintendent upon application and payment of tuition.  The tuition rate is the current per-pupil cost of the school district as computed by the board secretary and as authorized by the Iowa Department of Education.

Resident students whose families move from the school district after the start of a semester and who wish to complete the semester in their former resident school district will be permitted to attend.  Students who plan to open enroll to their former resident district for the next school year may do so without approval of the superintendent or board.  

Students in grades eleven or twelve who are no longer residents of the school district, but were residents in the preceding school year, may continue to attend school until they graduate without the payment of tuition.  These students may be required to identify an adult, who resides in the school district, identified for purposes of administration.

Nonresident students who are eligible to attend an Iowa public school and who have evidence they will become legal residents of the school district prior to October 1 may be allowed to attend without the payment of tuition.

 

 

Legal Reference:  Lakota Cons. Ind. School v. Buffalo Center-Rake Comm. School, 334 N.W.2d 704 (Iowa 1983).
                             Mt. Hope School Dist. v. Hendrickson, 197 N.W. 47 (Iowa 1924).
                             Oshel v. Creston Comm. School Dist., DPI Admin. Doc. 570 (1981).
                             Iowa Code §§ 257.6; 282.1, .2, .6, .7, .11, .24

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  07/21/2008, 09/16/2013, 11/19/2018, 06/19/2023

Revised:  06/19/2023

 

Parents/guardians within the school district who have children over age six and under age sixteen by September 15, in proper physical and mental condition to attend school, shall have the children attend the school district at the attendance center designated by the board.  Students shall attend school the number of hours school is in session in accordance with the school calendar.  Students of compulsory attendance age shall attend school a minimum of 1080 hours.  Students not attending the minimum hours must be exempted by this policy as listed below or referred to the county attorney.  Exceptions to this policy include children who:

• have completed the requirements for graduation in an accredited school or have obtained a high school equivalency diploma;
• are excused for sufficient reason by any court of record or judge;
• are attending religious services or receiving religious instruction;
• are unable to attend school due to legitimate medical reasons;
• has an individualized education program that affects the child’s attendance;
• has a plan under section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. §794, that affects the child’s  attendance;
• are attending an approved or probationally approved private college preparatory school;
• are attending an accredited nonpublic school;
• are receiving independent private instruction; or,
• are receiving competent private instruction.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian of a child to provide evidence of the child's mental and physical inability to attend school or of the child's qualifications for one of the exceptions listed above.

 

 

Legal Reference:  Iowa Code §§ 259A; 279.10-.11; ch. 299; 299A (2003).
                                     

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              601.1   School Calendar
                              604.1   Competent Private Instruction

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  09/16/2013, 11/19/2018

Revised:  02/18/2008, 09/15/2014, 11/27/2023, 03/18/2024, 08/19/2024

 

 

 

 

 

Children in the school district community will be allowed to enroll in the school district's regular education program beginning at age five.  The child must be age five on or prior to September 15 to participate in the school district's kindergarten program.  The child must be age six on or prior to September 15 to begin the first grade of the education program.

The board shall require evidence of age and residency in the form of a birth certificate or other evidence before the student may enroll in the school district's education program.  It shall be within the discretion of the superintendent to determine what is satisfactory evidence for proof of age.

Prior to enrollment, the child must provide the administration with their health and immunization certificate.  Failure to provide this information within the time period set by the superintendent shall be reason for suspension, expulsion or denying admission to the student.

 

 

Legal Reference:  Iowa Code §§ 139.9; 282.1, .3, .6 (2003).
                                      1980 Op. Att'y Gen. 258.

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              507.1   Student Health and Immunization Certificates

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  07/21/2008, 09/16/2013, 11/19/2018, 11/27/2023

Revised:  

      

 

The board will have complete discretion to determine the boundaries for each attendance center and to assign students to the attendance centers.

Parents or guardians of siblings in the same grade level academically in grades kindergarten through grade five may request the siblings be placed in the same or different classrooms.  In order to be valid, the request must be made in writing and submitted to the school principal at the time of registration for classes, or within fourteen days after the children’s first day of attendance during the school year.  If a valid request is received by the school principal, the request must be honored.  While a parent or guardian may make a placement request that siblings be placed together or apart, the district administration retains complete discretion to select the classroom teacher(s) to which siblings are assigned.  If after the initial grading period following the placement of siblings in the same or different classrooms the school principal determines the placement is disruptive to the class; the principal may assign one or more of the siblings to different classrooms.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent to make a recommendation to the board annually regarding the assigned attendance center for each student.  In making the recommendation, the superintendent will consider the geographical layout of the school district, the condition and location of the school district facilities, the location of student population, possible transportation challenges, financial condition of the school district and other factors deemed relevant by the superintendent or the board.

 

 

Legal Reference:  Iowa Code §§ 279.11; 282.7-.8.

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  07/21/2008, 09/16/2013, 11/19/2018, 10/21/2019, 11/27/2023

Revised:  10/21/2019

 

 

Students who transfer into the school district must meet the immunization and age requirements set out for students who initially enroll in the school district.

The school district shall request the student's cumulative records from the previous school district.  If the student cannot offer proof of grade level, the superintendent or designee will make the grade level determination.  The superintendent or designee may require testing or other information to determine the grade level.  Students currently expelled or suspended from their previous school district will not be enrolled.  Students will follow the regular enrollment process after their expulsion or suspension has expired.

The superintendent or designee shall determine the amount of credits to be transferred.  If the student has not previously attended an accredited school, it is within the superintendent's discretion to accept or reject credits or grades.

The board may deny admission if the student is not willing to provide the board with the necessary information.

 

Legal Reference:  20 U.S.C. § 1232g (1994).
                                      Iowa Code §§ 139.9; 282.1, .3, .4; 299A (2003).

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              505.4   Student Honors and Awards
                              507      Student Health and Well-Being
                              604.1   Competent Private Instruction

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  07/21/2008, 09/16/2013, 12/17/2018

Revised:  11/27/2023

 

 

If the student's parent/guardian(s) wish to withdraw or transfer the student from school prior to completing and graduating from the education program, they shall notify the school in writing as soon as possible of the decision to withdraw or transfer the student from the education program.  They will receive instructions regarding the return of textbooks, library books, locker equipment, hot lunch information, etc. 

The notice shall state the student's final day of attendance.  If the student is not enrolling in another school district, the school district shall maintain the student's records in the same manner as the records of students who have graduated from the school district.

If the parents wish to have the student's cumulative record sent to the new school district, the parents shall notify the school in writing.  This notice shall include the name of the school district and the person at the new school district to whom the student's cumulative records should be sent.  If the new school district requests the student's cumulative records, the school district will forward the cumulative records and notify the parents the records have been sent.  The notice shall inform the parents of their right to review the records sent.

If the student is of compulsory education age and not transferring to another public school district or an accredited nonpublic school, the parents shall notify the school that the student is receiving competent private instruction and file the necessary competent private instruction reports.

 

Legal Reference:  20 U.S.C. § 1232g.
                              Iowa Code §§ 274.1; 299.1-.1A; 299A.11.

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              506      Student Records
                              604.1   Competent Private Instruction

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  07/21/2008, 12/17/2018

Revised:  09/16/2013, 11/27/2023

 

As part of the school district's records, the daily attendance of each student shall be recorded and maintained on file with the permanent records of the board secretary.

It shall be the responsibility of the principals to ensure that such reports are filed with the board secretary, the custodian of school records.

 

Legal Reference:  Iowa Code §§ 294.4; 299 (2003).
                              281 I.A.C. 12.2(4).

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              506      Student Records

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  07/21/2008, 09/16/2013, 12/17/2018, 11/27/2003

Revised:

 

 

The district believes that traditional, in-person school attendance leads to the greatest learning opportunities for students. Students who are present in school and engaged active learners take greater ownership over their educational outcomes.  For this reason, it is the priority of the district to foster regular student attendance throughout the school year and reduce barriers to regular attendance for students in the district.

Chronic absenteeism/absences means any absence from school for more than ten percent of the days in the grading period established by the district.

Truant/truancy means a child of compulsory attendance age who is absent from school for any reason for at least twenty percent of the days in the grading period. Truancy does not apply to the following students who:

• • have completed the requirements for graduation in an accredited school or has obtained a high school equivalency diploma;
  • are excused for sufficient reason by any court of record or judge;
  • are attending religious services or receiving religious instruction;
  • are attending a private college preparatory school accredited or probationally accredited;
  • are excused under Iowa Code §299.22; and
  • are exempt under Iowa Code §299.24.

Students are subject to disciplinary action for truancy including suspension and expulsion.  It is within the discretion of the principal to determine, in light of the circumstances, whether a student may make up work missed because of truancy.  The provision of special education and accommodations for students who have individualized education programs (IEPs) or Section 504 plans will be determined by each respective IEP or Section 504 team. 

It is the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the designated school officials, to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.  The administrative regulations will indicate the disciplinary action to be taken for truancy.

 

Legal Reference:         34 C.F.R. sec. 300

                                    28 C.F.R. Pt. 35

                                    Iowa Code §§ 294.4; 299.

                                    281 I.A.C. 12.3(4).

 

Cross Reference:        501       Student Attendance

                                    503       Student Discipline

                                    504       Student Activities

                                    506       Student Records

 

Approved:  08/19/2024

Reviewed: 

Revised: 

 

 

Students will be allowed to leave the school district facilities during school hours only with prior authorization from a parent and/or guardian, the parent and/or guardian appears personally at the student's attendance center to arrange for the release of the student during school hours, or with the permission of the principal.

Approved reasons for release of a student during the school day shall include, but not be limited to, illness, family emergencies, medical appointments, religious instruction, classes outside the student's attendance center, and other reasons determined appropriate by the principal.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the principal, to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.

 

 

Legal Reference:  Iowa Code § 294.4 (2003).
                             281 I.A.C. 12.2(4).

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              503      Student Discipline
                              504      Student Activities
                              506      Student Records

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  08/18/2008, 11/18/2013, 12/17/2018

Revised:  04/15/2024

                                                     

 

The board encourages all students, including those who are pregnant, to continue to attend the education program as long as they are physically able to do so.  If the student is unable to attend school because of her pregnancy, the student may be excused and arrangements made to continue her studies during her absence.  The student shall resume classes upon the recommendation of her provider.

 

 

Legal Reference:  Iowa Code §§ 216; 279.8; 280.3 (2003).

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              604.02   Individualized Instruction

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  08/18/2008, 11/18/2013, 12/17/2018

Revised:  04/15/2024

 

Students who have attained legal age may continue the education program without payment of tuition as long as they are eligible to attend an Iowa public school and are residents of the school district.

Parents and/or guardians will be allowed to access and view the student's records without written permission from the student if the student is still a dependent for tax purposes.  In most cases, with the discretion of the principal or the superintendent, the student will be able to make decisions and sign documents rather than requiring parental permission or signature.

 

 

Legal Reference:  20 U.S.C. § 1232g (1994).
                              Iowa Code §§ 22; 282.2, .6, .7; 285.4; 599.1; 622.10 (2003).
                              281 I.A.C. 12.3(6).

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                              506      Student Records

 

Approved:  11/01/2004

Reviewed:  08/18/2008, 11/18/2013, 12/17/2018

Revised:  04/15/2024

       

 

The school district will participate in open enrollment as a sending district.  As a sending district, the board will allow resident students who meet the requirements to open enroll to another public school district.

Parents/guardians requesting open enrollment out of the school district for their student will notify the sending and receiving school district no later than March 1 in the school year preceding the first year desired for open enrollment.  The notice is made on forms provided by the Department of Education.  The forms are available at the district office. 

Parents/guardians of children who will begin kindergarten in the school district are exempt from the open enrollment March 1 deadline.  Parents/guardians of children who will begin kindergarten and prekindergarten children enrolled in special education programs and included in the district’s basic enrollment will file in the same manner set forth above by September 1.  Parents/guardians who have good cause as defined by law for failing to meet the March 1 deadline may make an open enrollment request by September 1 unless another deadline applies.

The receiving district will approve or deny open enrollment requests according to the timelines established by law.  The parents/guardians may withdraw the open enrollment request prior to the start of the school year.  The receiving district’s superintendent will notify the parents/guardians and sending school district within five days of the school district’s action to approve or deny the open enrollment request. 

Subject to applicable laws, the superintendent may approve a student's request to allow the receiving district to enter the school district for the purposes of transportation.

An open enrollment request out of the school district from parents of a special education student is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  The determining factor for approval of such an open enrollment request will be whether the special education program available in the receiving school district is appropriate for the student's needs.  The area education agency director of special education serving the receiving district will determine whether the program is appropriate.  The special education student will remain in the school district until the final determination is made.

It will be the responsibility of the superintendent to maintain open enrollment request applications and notice forms.  It will also be the responsibility of the superintendent to develop appropriate office procedures and administrative regulations necessary for open enrollment requests.

 

Legal Reference:          Iowa Code §§ 139A.8; 274.1; 279.11; 282.1, .3, .8, .18; 299.1.

                                    281 I.A.C. 17.

                                   

Cross Reference:          501      Student Attendance

                                      506      Student Records

 

Approved:  08/22/2005

Reviewed: 08/18/2008, 11/18/2013, 12/17/2018

Revised:  09/20/2021, 08/15/2022, 04/15/2024, 08/19/2024

 

                           

                                                                           

 

The school district will participate in open enrollment as a receiving district.  As a receiving district, the board will allow nonresident students, who meet the legal requirements, to open enroll into the school district.  The board will have complete discretion to determine the attendance center of the students attending the school district under open enrollment.

The superintendent will take action on the open enrollment request no later than June 1 in the year preceding the first year desired for open enrollment.

The superintendent will notify the sending school district and parents/guardians within five days of the school district’s action to approve or deny the open enrollment request . 

Open enrollment requests into the school district will not be approved if insufficient classroom space exists.  Open enrollment requests into the school district will also not be approved for students who have been suspended or expelled by the administration or the board of the school district the student is or was attending until the student has been reinstated into the school district from which the student was suspended or expelled.  Once the student is reinstated, the student's open enrollment request will be considered in the same manner as other open enrollment requests provided the required timelines are met.  The district reserves the right to deny continued open enrollment to any student who meets the definition of truant.  The district will notify the truant student’s parent or guardian and district of residence of the decision to deny enrollment in the future in accordance with applicable laws. 

Open enrollment requests into the school district that, if denied, would result in students from the same nuclear family being enrolled in different school districts, will be given highest priority.  The board, in its discretion, may waive the insufficient classroom space reason for denial for students of the same nuclear family to prevent the division of a nuclear family between two school districts.  Other open enrollment requests into the school district are considered in the order received by the school district with the first open enrollment request given a higher priority than the second open enrollment request and so forth.

Students in grades nine through twelve open enrolling into the school district will be eligible for participation in interscholastic athletics, at the varsity level only, in accordance with applicable laws.

Parents/guardians of students whose open enrollment requests are approved by the superintendent are responsible for providing transportation to and from the receiving school district without reimbursement.  

A receiving district may send school vehicles into the sending district’s boundaries to transport students to and from school in the receiving district, if the total enrollment of the student’s resident district is less than two thousand students; the student’s resident district is contiguous to the receiving district; and the student’s resident district has sent school vehicles into the receiving district pursuant to Iowa Code 282.18(8)(b)(1).

An open enrollment request into the school district from parents of a special education student is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  The determining factors for approval of such an open enrollment request will be whether the special education program available in the school district is appropriate for the student's needs and whether the enrollment of the special education student will cause the class size to exceed the maximum allowed.  The area education agency director of special education serving the school district will determine whether the program is appropriate.  The special education student will remain in the sending district until the final determination is made.  For children requiring special education, the receiving district will complete and provide to the resident district the documentation needed to seek Medicaid reimbursement for eligible services.

The policies of the school district will apply to students attending the school district under open enrollment.

It will be the responsibility of the superintendent to develop appropriate office procedures and administrative regulations necessary for open enrollment requests.

 

 

Legal Reference:          Iowa Code §§ 139.A.8; 274.1; 279.11; 282.1, .3, .8, .18; 299.1.

                                    281 I.A.C. 17.

                                   

Cross Reference:      501.6   Student Transfers In

                        501.7   Student Transfers Out or Withdrawals

                        501.15 Open Enrollment Transfers - Procedures as a Sending District

                        506      Student Records

                        507      Student Health and Well-Being

                                   606.9   Insufficient Classroom Space

 

Approved:  08/22/2005

Reviewed:  08/18/2008, 11/18/2013, 12/17/2018, 04/15/2024

Revised:  10/18/2021, 08/15/2022, 08/19/2024

 

 

The Independence Community School District believes all students should have access to a free, appropriate public education. The district will ensure that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as other children and youth.

The term “homeless children and youth” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The term includes:

• Children and youth who are:
  • Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as “doubled up”);
  • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
  • Living in emergency or transitional shelters; or
  • Abandoned in hospitals.
• Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
• Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

To help ensure that homeless children and youth have a full opportunity to enroll, attend, and succeed at school, the board will:

• Direct the superintendent to designate an individual as the local homeless children and youth liaison;
• Provide training opportunities for staff so staff may help identify and meet the needs of homeless children and youth;
• Remove barriers, including those associated with fees, fines, and absences, to the identification, enrollment, retention, attendance and/or success in school for homeless children and youth;
• Ensure collaboration and coordination with other service providers;
• Ensure transportation is provided in accordance with legal requirements;
• Provide school stability in school assignment according to the child’s best interests;
• Ensure the privacy of student records, as provided by applicable law, including information about a homeless child or youth’s living situation;
• Engage in the dispute resolution process for decisions relating to the educational placement of homeless children and youth as provided by applicable law; and
• Prohibit the segregation of a homeless child or youth from other students enrolled in the district.

 

 

Legal Reference:  20 U.S.C. § 6301.
                                       42 U.S.C. § 11302.
                                       42 U.S.C. §§ 11431 et seq.       
                                       281 I.A.C. 33.

Cross Reference:  501      Student Attendance
                                      503.3   Fines - Fees - Charges
                                      506      Student Records
                                      507.1   Student Health and Immunization Certificates
                                      603.2   Special Education
                                      711.1   Student School Transportation Eligibility

 

Approved:  11/21/2016

Reviewed:  12/17/2018, 04/15/2024

Revised:  09/19/2022