School Board Policy 509 -
Enrollment of Nonresident Students

Adopted: august 12, 1996
REVISED: june 11, 2001
revised: january 10, 2005
revised: november 8, 2007
revised: december 12, 2011

revised: june 8, 2015
revised: november 12, 2018
Revised: June 13, 2022
Revised: September 11, 2023

I. Purpose

The school district desires to participate in the Enrollment Options Program (Open Enrollment) established by Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.03. It is the purpose of this policy to set forth the application and exclusion procedures used by the school district in making said determination.

II. General Statement of Policy

The School board adopts specific standards for acceptance and rejection of Open Enrollment applications.

III. Open Enrollment Process

A. Open Enrollment applications will be approved provided that acceptance of the application will not exceed the capacity of a program, excluding special education programs; class; grade level; or school building as established by School Board resolution and provided that:

  1. space is available for the applicant under enrollment cap standards established by School Board policy or other directive; and

  2. in considering the capacity of a grade level, the school district may only limit the enrollment of nonresident students to a number not less than the lesser of: (a) one percent of the total enrollment at each grade level in the school district; or (b) the number of school district resident students at that grade level enrolled in a nonresident school district in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.03.

  3. the applicant is not otherwise excluded by action of the school district because of previous conduct in another school district.

B. If the school district limits enrollment of nonresident students pursuant to this section, the district shall report to the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) by July 15 on the number of nonresident students denied admission due to the limitation on the enrollment of nonresident students.

IV. Basis For Decisions

A. Standards that may be used for rejection of application

In addition to the provisions of Paragraph IIA, the school district may refuse to allow a pupil who is expelled under Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.45 to enroll during the term of the expulsion if the student was expelled for:

  1. possessing, at school or a school function, a dangerous item, including a weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury, except that such term does not include a pocket knife with a blade less than two and one-half inches in length;

  2. possessing or using an illegal drug at school or a school function;

  3. selling or soliciting the sale of a controlled substance while at school or a school function; or

  4. committing a third-degree assault involving assaulting another and inflicting substantial bodily harm.

B. Standards that may not be used for rejection of application

The school district may not use the following standards in determining whether to accept or reject an application for open enrollment;

  1. previous academic achievement of a student;

  2. athletic or extracurricular ability of a student;

  3. disabling conditions of a student;

  4. a student’s proficiency in the English language;

  5. the student’s district of residence, except where the district of residence is directly included in an enrollment options strategy included in an approved achievement and integration program; or

  6. previous disciplinary proceedings involving the student. This shall not preclude the school district from denying the application of a student who was expelled under Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.45 for a reason stated in Paragraph IV.A. or proceeding with exclusion as set out in Section E of this policy.

C. Application

The student and parent or guardian must complete and submit the “General Statewide Enrollment Options Application for K-12 and Early Childhood Special Education” (or the Statewide Enrollment Options Application for State-funded Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) or School Readiness Pluss (SRP) application if applicable) developed by MDE and available on its website.

The school district may require a nonresident student enrolled in a program under Minnesota Statutes, section 125A.13, or in a preschool program, except for a program under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.151 or Laws 2017, First Special Session chapter 5, article 8, section 9, to follow the application procedures under this subdivision to enroll in kindergarten. A district must allow a nonresident student enrolled in a program under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.151 or Laws 2017, First Special Session chapter 5, article 8, section 9, to remain enrolled in the district when the student enters kindergarten without submitting annual or periodic applications, unless the district terminates the student's enrollment under subdivision 12.

The school district shall notify the parent or guardian in writing by February 15 or within ninety (90) days for applications submitted after January 15 in the case of achievement and integration district transfers whether the application has been accepted or rejected. If an application is rejected, the district must state in the notification the reason for rejection. The parent or guardian must notify the nonresident district by March 1 or within ten (10) business days whether the pupil intends to enroll in the nonresident district.

D. Lotteries. If a school district has more applications than available seats as a specific grade level, it must hold an impartial lottery following the January 15 deadline to determine which students will receive seats. The district must give priority to enrolling siblings of currently enrolled students, students whose applications are related to an approved integration and achievement plan, children of the school district’s staff, and students residing in that part of a municipality (a statutory or home rule charter city or town) where:

  1. the student’s resident district does not operate a school building;

  2. the municipality is located partially or fully within the boundaries of at least five school districts;

  3. the nonresident district in which the student seeks to enroll operates one or more school buildings within the municipality; and

  4. no other nonresident, independent, special, or common school district operates a school building within the municipality.

The process for the school district lottery must be established by School Board policy and posted on the school district’s website.

E. Exclusion

  1. Administrator's initial determination. If a school district administrator knows or has reason to believe that an applicant has engaged in conduct that has subjected or could subject the applicant to expulsion or exclusion under law or school district policy, the administrator will transmit the application to the Superintendent with a recommendation of whether exclusion proceedings should be initiated.

  2. Superintendent's review. The Superintendent may make further inquiries. If the Superintendent determines that the applicant should be admitted, he or she will notify the applicant and the School Board chair. If the Superintendent determines that the applicant should be excluded, the Superintendent will notify the applicant and determine whether the applicant wishes to continue the application process. Although an application may not be rejected based on previous disciplinary proceedings, the school district reserves the right to initiate exclusion procedures pursuant to the Minnesota Pupil Fair Dismissal Act as warranted on a case- by-case basis.

F. Termination of Enrollment

  1. The school district may terminate the enrollment of a nonresident student enrolled under an enrollment options program pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.03, or 124D.08 at the end of a school year if the student meets the definition of a habitual truant, the student has been provided appropriate services for truancy under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 260A, and the student’s case has been referred to juvenile court. A “habitual truant” is a child under the age of 17 years who is absent from attendance at school without lawful excuse for seven school days if the child is in elementary school or for one or more class periods on seven school days per school year if the child is in middle school, junior high school or high school, or a child who is 17 years of age who is absent from attendance at school without lawful excuse for one or more class periods on seven school days and who has not lawfully withdrawn from school under Minnesota Statutes, section 120A.22, subdivision 8.

  2. The school district may also terminate the enrollment of a nonresident student 18 years of age or older if the student is absent without lawful excuse for one or more periods on 15 school days and has not lawfully withdrawn from school under Minnesota Statutes, section 120A.22, subdivision 8.

  3. A student who has not applied for and been accepted for open enrollment pursuant to this policy and does not otherwise meet the residency requirements for enrollment may be terminated from enrollment and removed from school. Prior to removal from school, the school district will send to the student’s parents/ guardians a written notice of the school district’s belief that the student is not a resident of the school district. The notice shall include the facts upon which the belief is based and notice to the parents/guardians of their opportunity to provide documentary evidence, in person or in writing, of residency to the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee. The Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee will make the final determination as to the residency status of the student.

G. Notwithstanding the requirement that an application must be approved by the School Board of the nonresident district, a student who has been enrolled in a district, who is identified as homeless, and whose parent or legal guardian moves to another district, or who is placed in foster care in another school district, may continue to enroll in the nonresident district without the approval of the School Board of nonresident district. The approval of the School Board of the student’s resident district is not required.

Legal Reference: 
Minn. Stat. § 120A.22, Subd. 3(e) and Subd. 8 (Compulsory Instruction)
Minn. Stat. § 121A.40-121A.56 (Pupil Fair Dismissal Act)
Minn. Stat. §124D.03, (Enrollment Options Program)
Minn. Stat. § 124D.08 (School Board Approval to Enroll in Nonresident District; Exceptions)
Minn. Stat. § 124D.68 (Graduation Incentives Program)
Minn. Ch. 260A (Truancy)
Minn. Stat. §260C.007, Subd. 19 (Definitions)
Minn. Opp Atty. Gen. No. 169-f (August 13, 1986)
Indep. Sch. District No. 623 v. Minn. Dept. of Educ., Co. No A05-361, 2005
WL 3111963 (Minn. App. 2005) (unpublished)
18 U.S.C. 930, para. (g)(2) (Definition of Weapon)

Cross Reference: 
WBLASB Policy 506 (Student Discipline)
WBLASB Policy 517 (Student Recruiting)