The School District 56 Board of Trustees celebrated Perfect Attendance and considered a complex policy of 4 pages and 20 legal references at its Aug. 24 regular meeting.
On its Facebook page, the District celebrated the students and families who committed to “being present” throughout the just-past school year:
“We’re proud to recognize our students who achieved perfect attendance this past school year! We celebrated their dedication and commitment at our recent board meeting. Congratulations to all of our perfect attendance students!”
The Board also recognized Beta Club and Cognia Years of Excellence honorees. A testing update, 2026-27 overview of special education, and the monthly finance report also were part of the board’s activities for the August meeting.
Admission of non-resident students is Policy JFAB and the accompanying administrative rule. Federal and state laws, court cases, and interpretations from the State Department of Education are cited in the policy and rule. Information about having a non-resident student transfer into the district must be posted on the district website and sent to families by mail and e-mail.
Non-resident means a student who resides outside the district boundaries, but enrolls in a district school through inter district transfer. These students can apply “subject to capacity and eligibility criteria outlined in this policy.”
The District has to have, and advertise, a “window” for families to make these applications.
Students with disabilities can request a transfer in; however, the district has to assess the student’s IEP* to see if the requested school can meet the IEP needs. If the requested school cannot meet those needs, the district can evaluate which school can meet the needs, and recommend transfer there.
Families seeking a transfer must complete an application during the annual interdistrict transfer enrollment window. It must open no later than Feb. 1 for the upcoming school year.
It remains open for at least 90 days.
The district must advertise the “window” on its website at least 5 days before its opening. Applications must be submitted no later than May 31; and the superintendent can consider late applications at his/her discretion.
The superintendent can consider any factors he/she considers to be relevant, and may deny an application that contains “false or misleading information.”
In granting a transfer, the district can give priority to: children of district employees, siblings of currently enrolled students in the same school, and existing non-resident students. A transfer will not be approved if it exceeds maximum enrollment and/or overcrowds a facility.
The district is not required to “make room” for a transferring student.
The policy says, “… the district is not required to create additional seats, expand facilities, hire additional staff members, or alter programs to accommodate interdistrict transfer requests.”
Families must be notified within 30 days of the close of the application period if their child has been 1) accepted; 2) placed on a wait list; or 3) denied. The applicant must accept the transfer within 2 business days of being notified.
A denial will be accompanied by “a clear explanation” of the reason for the denial.
The district that the student is coming from must provide all records, and these can include testing, behavior, and health.
For transfers, the district will charge a fee not to exceed the prior school year’s local per-pupil tax revenue amount.
Non-residential students can participate in middle and high school athletics.
The policy says, however, that families should know how any ensuing transfer would affect sports eligibility.
Upon denial, parents/guardians can appeal to the school board within 10 days. There is no board hearing; decisions are made based on written records. Appeal decision-notifications are required within 10 days of the next scheduled board meeting; the next appeal would be to the State Board of Education.
There is an accompanying rule that requires the School District to undertake a capacity study; that would entail a grade level capacity, class capacity, and individual instruction coach capacity evaluation.
These reports related to this policy must be submitted to the State Department of Education: number of applications, acceptances, denials, wait lists, and appeals outcomes.
The Laurens County School District 56 Board of Trustees meets the 4th Monday of each month (excluding holidays), at 7:30 p.m. in the District Conference Center, 100 Legion Dr., Clinton. There is a time set aside for public comments, based on district policy. The D56 Board’s next meeting will be Sept. 28.
*Individualized Education Plan
