Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 3313 | Boards of Education
Section 3313.98 | Interdistrict Enrollment Policy.

Effective: September 30, 2021
Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly
Notwithstanding division (D) of section 3311.19 and division (D) of section 3311.52 of the Revised Code, the provisions of this section and sections 3313.981 to 3313.983 of the Revised Code that apply to a city school district do not apply to a joint vocational or cooperative education school district unless expressly specified.
(A) As used in this section and sections 3313.981 to 3313.983 of the Revised Code:
(1) "Parent" means either of the natural or adoptive parents of a student, except under the following conditions:
(a) When the marriage of the natural or adoptive parents of the student has been terminated by a divorce, dissolution of marriage, or annulment or the natural or adoptive parents of the student are living separate and apart under a legal separation decree and the court has issued an order allocating the parental rights and responsibilities with respect to the student, "parent" means the residential parent as designated by the court except that "parent" means either parent when the court issues a shared parenting decree.
(b) When a court has granted temporary or permanent custody of the student to an individual or agency other than either of the natural or adoptive parents of the student, "parent" means the legal custodian of the child.
(c) When a court has appointed a guardian for the student, "parent" means the guardian of the student.
(2) "Native student" means a student entitled under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code to attend school in a district adopting a resolution under this section.
(3) "Adjacent district" means a city, exempted village, or local school district having territory that abuts the territory of a district adopting a resolution under this section.
(4) "Adjacent district student" means a student entitled under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code to attend school in an adjacent district.
(5) "Adjacent district joint vocational student" means an adjacent district student who enrolls in a city, exempted village, or local school district pursuant to this section and who also enrolls in a joint vocational school district that does not contain the territory of the district for which that student is a native student and does contain the territory of the city, exempted village, or local district in which the student enrolls.
(6) "Poverty line" means the poverty line established by the director of the United States office of management and budget as revised by the secretary of health and human services in accordance with section 673(2) of the "Community Services Block Grant Act," 95 Stat. 1609, 42 U.S.C.A. 9902, as amended.
(7) "IEP" has the same meaning as in section 3323.01 of the Revised Code.
(8) "Other district" means a city, exempted village, or local school district having territory outside of the territory of a district adopting a resolution under this section.
(9) "Other district student" means a student entitled under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code to attend school in an other district.
(10) "Other district joint vocational student" means a student who is enrolled in any city, exempted village, or local school district and who also enrolls in a joint vocational school district that does not contain the territory of the district for which that student is a native student in accordance with a policy adopted under section 3313.983 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) The board of education of each city, local, and exempted village school district shall adopt a resolution establishing for the school district one of the following policies:
(a) A policy that entirely prohibits the enrollment of students from adjacent districts or other districts, other than students for whom tuition is paid in accordance with section 3317.08 of the Revised Code;
(b) A policy that permits enrollment of students from all adjacent districts in accordance with policy statements contained in the resolution;
(c) A policy that permits enrollment of students from all other districts in accordance with policy statements contained in the resolution.
(2) A policy permitting enrollment of students from adjacent or from other districts, as applicable, shall provide for all of the following:
(a) Application procedures, including deadlines for application and for notification of students and the superintendent of the applicable district whenever an adjacent or other district student's application is approved.
(b) Procedures for admitting adjacent or other district applicants free of any tuition obligation to the district's schools, including, but not limited to:
(i) The establishment of district capacity limits by grade level, school building, and education program;
(ii) A requirement that all native students wishing to be enrolled in the district will be enrolled and that any adjacent or other district students previously enrolled in the district shall receive preference over first-time applicants;
(iii) Procedures to ensure that an appropriate racial balance is maintained in the district schools.
(C) Except as provided in section 3313.982 of the Revised Code, the procedures for admitting adjacent or other district students, as applicable, shall not include:
(1) Any requirement of academic ability, or any level of athletic, artistic, or other extracurricular skills;
(2) Limitations on admitting applicants because of disability, except that a board may refuse to admit a student receiving services under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code, if the services described in the student's IEP are not available in the district's schools;
(3) A requirement that the student be proficient in the English language;
(4) Rejection of any applicant because the student has been subject to disciplinary proceedings, except that if an applicant has been suspended or expelled by the student's district for ten consecutive days or more in the term for which admission is sought or in the term immediately preceding the term for which admission is sought, the procedures may include a provision denying admission of such applicant.
(D)(1) Each school board permitting only enrollment of adjacent district students shall provide information about the policy adopted under this section, including the application procedures and deadlines, to the superintendent and the board of education of each adjacent district and, upon request, to the parent of any adjacent district student.
(2) Each school board permitting enrollment of other district students shall provide information about the policy adopted under this section, including the application procedures and deadlines, upon request, to the board of education of any other school district or to the parent of any student anywhere in the state.
(E) Any school board shall accept all credits toward graduation earned in adjacent or other district schools by an adjacent or other district student or a native student.
(F)(1) No board of education may adopt a policy discouraging or prohibiting its native students from applying to enroll in the schools of an adjacent or any other district that has adopted a policy permitting such enrollment, except that:
(a) A district may object to the enrollment of a native student in an adjacent or other district in order to maintain an appropriate racial balance.
(b) The board of education of a district receiving funds under 64 Stat. 1100 (1950), 20 U.S.C.A. 236 et seq., as amended, may adopt a resolution objecting to the enrollment of its native students in adjacent or other districts if at least ten per cent of its students are included in the determination of the United States secretary of education made under section 20 U.S.C.A. 238(a).
(2) If a board objects to enrollment of native students under this division, any adjacent or other district shall refuse to enroll such native students unless tuition is paid for the students in accordance with section 3317.08 of the Revised Code. An adjacent or other district enrolling such students may not receive funding for those students in accordance with section 3313.981 of the Revised Code.
(G) The state board of education shall monitor school districts to ensure compliance with this section and the districts' policies. The board may adopt rules requiring uniform application procedures, deadlines for application, notification procedures, and record-keeping requirements for all school boards that adopt policies permitting the enrollment of adjacent or other district students, as applicable. If the state board adopts such rules, no school board shall adopt a policy that conflicts with those rules.
(H) A resolution adopted by a board of education under this section that entirely prohibits the enrollment of students from adjacent and from other school districts does not abrogate any agreement entered into under section 3313.841 or 3313.92 of the Revised Code or any contract entered into under section 3313.90 of the Revised Code between the board of education adopting the resolution and the board of education of any adjacent or other district or prohibit these boards of education from entering into any such agreement or contract.
(I) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit or require the board of education of a city, exempted village, or local school district to exclude any native student of the district from enrolling in the district.
Last updated October 1, 2021 at 5:09 PM

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