Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) Office of the Superintendent

This document will provide you with important information about the TUHSD open enrollment transfer policy.

OPEN ENROLLMENT TRANSFER POLICY (Intra-District)

TUHSD open enrollment transfer policy offers 8th-11th grade students, who reside within the Tamalpais Union High School District boundaries, the opportunity to select their school of attendance.

Before applying for an open enrollment transfer, students and parents are encouraged to visit both their school of residence and their desired school of attendance to make certain their choice is an appropriate one. PLEASE NOTE: Students must first enroll in their school of residence. Apply for an open enrollment transfer, if desired, when the applications are available in March.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN OPEN ENROLLMENT?

Open enrollment applies only to students residing in the Tamalpais Union High School District.

Open enrollment applies only to the District's three comprehensive high schools - Tamalpais, Drake, and Redwood.

Open enrollment does not apply to the District's two alternative schools - San Andreas (continuation high school) and Tamiscal (independent study high school), or to the District’s alternative program - TEAM.

Students currently enrolled in 8th grade:

1. Eighth grade students residing in one of the TUHSD's ten public elementary feeder districts who want to attend the high school in their attendance area need not participate in open enrollment. These students will be registered through the normal enrollment process and attend the school in their area of residence.

For example, if you reside in Corte Madera and want to attend Redwood, you do not have to participate in open enrollment. You may attend Redwood.

Tamalpais High School Attendance Area Bolinas-Stinson School District Mill Valley School District Sausalito Marin City School District

Sir Francis Drake High School Attendance Area Lagunitas School District Nicasio School District Ross Valley School District

Redwood High School Attendance Area Kentfield School District Larkspur Corte Madera School District Reed Union School District Ross School District

Page 1 Open Enrollment Document 18-19 Students residing in the TUHS District who want to attend a District school other than the high school in their attendance area, must participate in the open enrollment process (except as outlined in #2 below).

For example, if you reside in Corte Madera and want to attend Tam High, you must participate in open enrollment.

2. Eighth grade students residing in the TUHS District who attend a public school in one of the TUHS District’s ten elementary feeder districts (other than in their district of residence) may attend either their high school of residence or the high school in the attendance area of their 8th grade school. These students do not have to participate in open enrollment.

For example, if you reside in Tiburon and attend Mill Valley Middle School on an approved interdistrict transfer between the elementary districts, you may attend either Redwood or Tam without participating in open enrollment.

PLEASE NOTE: Students residing in the TUHS District who attend a private school in 8th grade and want to attend a TUHSD school in 9th grade must attend their school of residence unless they apply for, and are granted, an open enrollment transfer.

For example, if you reside in San Anselmo and attend Marin Country Day School in 8th grade, you must attend Drake High School or participate in open enrollment if you wish to attend either Redwood or Tam in 9th grade.

Students currently enrolled in 9th-11th grade:

1. Students residing in the TUHS District who attend a District school may continue attending that school without participating in open enrollment.

2. Students residing in the TUHS District who attend a District school but wish to attend a different District school next year must participate in open enrollment.

3. Students residing outside the TUHS District with an interdistrict transfer approved by both the student's district of residence and the TUHSD are eligible to participate in open enrollment.

4. Ninth-eleventh grade students residing in the TUHS District who currently attend a private high school but wish to attend a TUHS District school next year must attend their high school of residence unless they apply for, and are granted, an open enrollment transfer.

For example, if you reside in San Anselmo and attend Branson in 9th grade but wish to attend a TUHS District school in 10th grade, you must attend Drake High unless you participate in open enrollment.

WHAT ARE THE DISTRICT'S OPEN ENROLLMENT GUIDELINES?

The TUHSD Board of Trustees has established clear open enrollment procedures and timelines which must be followed.

The Board has determined that each comprehensive high school's enrollment may not increase by more than fifty (50) students through the open enrollment process for the 2018 - 2019 school year.

If the number of students who apply for open enrollment transfers to any one school exceeds that school's open enrollment capacity of 50 students, students will be selected by a lottery conducted by the Superintendent. Students not selected in the lottery will be placed on a waiting list.

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HOW DOES A STUDENT PARTICIPATE IN THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PROCESS?

1. Open enrollment applications may be obtained beginning in March on the district’s website: www.tamdistrict.org. If you are unable to print the application, on or after March 8, you may request that one be mailed to you, by contacting Mary O’Leary at [email protected] or in the District Superintendent's Office at (415) 945-1020. Requests will not be processed without a completed application (signed by both the student and parent/guardian).

2. Mail the original, completed open enrollment transfer application to the Superintendent’s Office, P.O. Box 605, Larkspur, CA 94977 to be received by the 4:00 p.m. on March 26, initial deadline. If you prefer, you may email [email protected] or hand-deliver the application to the Superintendent’s Office, located off the east parking lot on the Redwood campus. All forms received by March 26 will be considered equally. After the initial deadline, requests will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis until June 30, 2018, OR until the maximum of 50 spots are filled. Requests received after June 30, 2018 will not be considered.

3. By April 2, the Superintendent will review all transfer requests and assign students to their school of choice if that school's open enrollment capacity is not exceeded. If applications to a school exceed that school's open enrollment capacity, a lottery will determine who is assigned to that school. A waiting list, also determined by lottery, will be established.

PLEASE NOTE: Since the inception of the open enrollment program, open enrollment transfer requests to any one school have NOT exceeded the 50 student maximum after the April 23 confirmation deadline. Therefore, all students requesting open enrollment transfers, using the procedure set forth by the Board of Trustees, have been assigned to their school of choice. (see page 4, #5)

4. By April 2, students will be notified of their status by e-mail. The status will be one of the following:

- assigned to their first school of choice; - placed on the waiting list for their first school of choice; or - assigned to their second school of choice, if requested.

For a student whose parent does not have an e-mail address, a letter will be mailed to the home address.

5. By April 23, students assigned to a school must confirm their attendance at that school by mail using the appropriate District form. Once confirmed, the student is expected to attend that school.

► AFTER CONFIRMING, STUDENTS SHOULD CONTACT THEIR NEW SCHOOL TO SCHEDULE A COUNSELING APPOINTMENT.

WHAT OTHER CONSIDERATIONS ARE THERE?

1. Students who decide to participate in open enrollment after March 26 (but before June 30) will be assigned to their school of choice if there is remaining open enrollment capacity at that school, placed on a waiting list in order of application, or assigned to their second school of choice.

2. The open enrollment process closes on June 30. Students on waiting lists must decide to either attend their second school of choice, if applicable, or attend their school of residence. Waiting lists will not carry over to the following school year.

3. PLEASE NOTE: Students residing in the District whose most recent enrollment was in a private high school Page 3 Open Enrollment Document 18-19 may either participate in the open enrollment transfer process before June 30 or attend their school of residence.

4. Students who move into the District after June 30 must attend their school of residence.

5. Once accepted to a school, a student may not be displaced from that school and will not have to apply again.

6. Students residing in the District may have their transfer revoked for disciplinary reasons if designated by the Board of Trustees through an expulsion process, by the District's policy on alcohol/drugs second offenses, by the action of a Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), or through placement in an alternative school or program.

7. Students attending school in the District on an interdistrict transfer may have their transfer revoked for failing to meet the terms and conditions of the transfer, poor attendance, improper behavior, and/or failing grades.

8. Upon verification, compelling need transfers shall be granted to permit concurrent attendance of siblings at the same District school.

9. No new transportation services shall be provided for open enrollment students. Transportation services are limited to those traditionally provided by the District.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. To learn more about Tamalpais, Drake, or Redwood High Schools or to receive a copy of the School Accountability Report Card, please visit the school websites.

▸ : www.tamhigh.org J. C. Farr, Principal 415-380-3510

▸ Sir Francis Drake High School: www.tamdistrict.org/drake Liz Seabury, Principal 415-458-3410

▸ Redwood High School: www.redwood.org David Sondheim, Principal 415-945-3620

2. To learn more about Tamiscal or the Team Program, contact your school counselor or:

▸ Corbett Elsen, Principal 415-945-3750

3. To learn more about San Andreas, contact your school counselor or:

▸ David Luongo, Principal 415-945-3770

3. To ask a question about open enrollment or interdistrict transfers or to obtain copies of forms or policies and procedures, contact:

▸ Tamalpais Union High School District Mary O’Leary, Executive Assistant 415-945-1020 [email protected]

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