STUDENTS: ADMISSION/ENROLLMENT [LAW]
1. Admission
A. Application
Students wanting to attend the school must complete and submit
an application by a reasonable date established by the school.
B. Acceptance
Procedure
If the
school receives more applications for admission than available positions in the
school, the school may fill the available positions by lottery or in the order
in which all timely applications were received.
However, if the latter process is implemented, the school must publish a
notice of the opportunity to apply for admission. The notice, stating the application deadline,
must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the community in
which the school is located, not later that the seventh day before the
application deadline.
C. Exclusion
Right
The school’s charter may provide for the exclusion of
a student who has a documented history of a criminal offense, a juvenile court
adjudication, or discipline problems under subchapter A, Chapter 37 of the Texas
Education Code.
2. Enrollment
A. Charter
Specifications
The total number of students enrolled in the school
shall not exceed the number of students approved in the school’s charter or
subsequent amendments. Subject to the
enrollment caps contained in the school’s charter, the school shall admit
students residing within its geographic boundaries. If the school’s charter so provides, students
residing outside the geographic boundaries stated in the charter are eligible
for admission to the school after all eligible applicants who reside within the
boundaries, and who have submitted a timely application, have been enrolled.
(1) No
student shall be denied admission on the basis of sex, national origin,
ethnicity, religion, disability, academic, artistic, or athletic ability, or
with regard to the district the child would otherwise attend in accordance with
school district student admissions laws.
(2) [ADD,
Only if the following language is stated in the charter for your school:] Students with a documented history of
a criminal offense, a juvenile court adjudication, or a student with a history
of discipline problems as described in subchapter A, Chapter 37 of the Texas
Education Code, that is, offenses for which public school district students
must or may be expelled, suspended, or assigned to an Alternative Education
Program, may be excluded from admission.
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B. Required
Documentation
To verify the identity of
a student, a parent or other person with legal control of a child shall furnish
to the school, not later than the 30th day after the date the child enrolls:
(1) The
student’s birth certificate; or
(2) One or more of the following:
(a) A
passport;
(b) A
driver’s license;
(c) A
military ID;
(d) A
hospital birth record;
(e) An
adoption record;
(f) A
church baptismal record; or
(g) A school
ID card; and
(3) A
record showing that the student has the immunizations required by the Texas
Education Code, proof that the child is not required to be immunized, or proof
that the child is entitled to provisional admission. [See
Students: Immunizations [Law]].
Tex. Educ. Agency, Student Attendance Accounting
Handbook, § 3(9), (9‑1)(2002-03);
C. Tuition
and Fees
(1) The
school shall not charge tuition to an eligible student who applies for
admission.
(2) The school may require a student to pay
the following fees:
(a) Materials used in any program in which
the resultant product is in excess of minimum requirements and, at the student’s
option, becomes the personal property of the student. Fees may not exceed the cost of materials;
(b) Membership
dues in student organizations or clubs, and admission fees or charges for
attending extracurricular activities when membership or attendance is
voluntary;
(c) Security
deposits for the return of materials, supplies, or equipment;
(d) Personal
physical education and athletic equipment and apparel. However, any student may provide his/her own
if it meets reasonable requirements and standards relating to health and safety
established by the board;
(e) Items
of personal use or products which a student may purchase at his/her own option,
such as student publications, class rings, annuals, and graduation
announcements;
(f) Fees
specifically permitted by any other statute;
(g) Any
authorized, voluntary student health and accident benefit plan;
(h) A
reasonable fee, not to exceed the actual annual maintenance cost, for the use
of musical instruments and uniforms owned or rented by the school;
(i) Items
of personal apparel, which become the property of the student, and which are
used in extracurricular activities;
(j) Parking
fees and fees for identification cards;
(k) Driver
training courses, provided that such fees shall not exceed the actual school
cost per student in such programs for the current school year;
(l) Courses
offered for credit where the activity necessitates the use of facilities not
available on the school premises, and participation in the course is optional
on the part of the student. Payment may
not be required if the course is one requested by parents according to Tex.
Educ. Code § 28.003;
(m) Summer
school, provided fees are not charged for courses required for graduation
unless such courses are offered tuition-free during the regular school term;
(n) Reasonable
fee for transportation of a student who lives within two (2) miles of the
school the student attends, to and from the school, except that the school may
not charge a fee for transportation for which the school receives funds under
Tex. Educ. Code § 42.155(d).
(o) A
reasonable fee, not to exceed $50, for costs associated with an educational
program offered outside of regular school hours, through which a student who
was absent from class receives instruction voluntarily for the purpose of
making up the missed instruction and meeting the level of attendance required
under Tex. Educ. Code § 25.092. To
charge such a fee, the school shall provide a written form to be signed by the
student’s parent/legal guardian stating that the fee will not create a
financial hardship or discourage the student from attending the program. The school may assess the fee only if the
student returns the form.
(3) The following student fees are prohibited:
(a) Textbooks, workbooks, laboratory
supplies, or other supplies necessary for participation in any instructional
course, except as authorized under this policy;
(b) Field
trips required as part of a basic educational program or course;
(c) Any
specific form of dress necessary for any required educational program of
diplomas;
(d) Instructional
costs for necessary school personnel employed in any course or educational
program required for graduation;
(e) Library
books required to be utilized for any educational course or program. However, fines may be assessed for lost,
damaged, or overdue books;
(f) Admission
fees, dues, or fees for any activity which the student is required to attend as
a prerequisite to graduation;
(g) Any
admission or examination cost for any required educational course or program;
or
(h) Lockers.
D. Withdrawal
Notification
Within
three (3) business days of the withdrawal of a student from the school, the
school shall notify the school district in which the student resides of such
withdrawal.
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