How do I send my child to a different SLO County school or district? What to know
Do you want to send your child to a public school that’s not in your neighborhood?
The rules around switching students to a new school in or outside of your local district in San Luis Obispo County can be complicated.
To help local parents make informed choices, The Tribune looked into the transfer policies at several school districts in the county.
Here’s what you need to know:
What are the different types of school transfers?
There are two main types of transfers — intradistrict and interdistrict — available to parents who wish to move their child to a new school in the county, according to the California Department of Education.
An intradistrict transfer takes place when a parent or or guardian enrolls a student at a school within their district that’s different from the one in their attendance area.
According to the state’s education department, school districts are encouraged to give priority to intradistrict transfers for any of the following reasons:
- So siblings can attend the same school
Preferred school is close to parents’ places of employment
Requested school is near established child care arrangement
An interdistrict transfer occurs when a parent or guardian sends their child to a school that’s outside of the district in which they live.
In this scenario, both school districts must approve the transfer, according to California’s Education Code, and that agreement can only last up to five consecutive years. After that point, the parent or guardian must seek approval for an additional transfer.
“Each local district governing board has ultimate authority” over district transfers, San Luis Obispo County Office of Education Superintendent James Brescia told The Tribune.
How do I send my child to a different school in SLO County?
At SLO County’s largest school district, Lucia Mar Unified, the process is as simple as filling out an online form, Brett Gimlin, the district’s curriculum director said.
Parents or guardians can rank up to three schools within the district where they would like their child to attend.
Students dealing with medical conditions, homelessness or dangerous or harmful living conditions are given priority in the lottery for intradistrict transfer requests, the district said.
However, Lucia Mar never displaces students from their home school to make room for transfer students, according to Hillery Dixon, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum.
“If you live in the boundaries of your school, then you get to go there,” she said.
To apply for an intradistrict transfer in the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, parents must fill out a form and meet with the school principal about the request, the district said.
Parents or guardians seeking to send their child to a different school within the San Luis Coastal Unified School District must complete the new student registration process, which includes providing documents that show place of residence, age and immunization record.
Then the family must go in person to get a transfer form from the school of residence and then return the form to the same school, according to the the district’s website.
How do I transfer my student to a new school district?
Parents or guardians who would like to send their child to a new school outside of their home district must get both districts to agree to the request, according to Brescia.
Most SLO County school districts require parents to fill out a paper form to initiate the interdistrict transfer process, Gimlin said.
In the case of students seeking to attend Templeton Unified School District, parents should complete an interdistrict application, followed by a meeting among the student, parent and principal, the district said on its website. The board then takes action to either accept or deny the student entrance to a school within the district.
According to the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District and the Atascadero Unified School District, parents who wish to send their child to a school within those districts must pick up and submit an interdistrict transfer request to their individual district office to jumpstart the process.
San Luis Coastal Unified said interdistrict transfer requests begin with an application at the district of residence. Ultimately, the superintendent decides whether to approve the student to the district.
At Lucia Mar Unified, classrooms are first filled with in-area students, then intradistrict transfer students and, finally, interdistrict transfers if there is still space and budget to accomodate those children, according to Gimlin.
“In a lot of cases, transfer requests are requested based on being close to where mom or dad works or (the) daycare provider,” Dixon said. “Grandma does pickup after school, and so they want to be close to Grandma’s house.”
Will my child be accepted at a new campus?
According to California’s education code, the admissions process for district transfers cannot be evaluated based on a student’s academic or athletic prowess, physical condition or proficiency in English.
However, each SLO County school district has its own criteria for admitting an out-of-district student.
Here are common reasons for acceptance at several local school districts:
Student already has a sibling attending a school in the district
Parent is an employee of the district
Child is a victim of bullying within their home district
Parents are in the process of moving into or out of the school district
Child care for the student is within the boundaries of the district
Some reasons that students may be denied for an interdistrict transfer at an SLO County school district include insufficient staff, lack of classroom space or based on a student’s negative behavioral or attendance history, according to local school districts.
What to do if your transfer request is rejected
If an interdistrict transfer request is denied, parents can file an appeal to the county Office of Education within 30 days of the rejection notice, according to Brescia.
“Last year, fewer than 10 appeal requests were presented from districts across the county,” he told The Tribune in an email.
