Policy 5111 - Admission

Admission

The Board of Education encourages the enrollment and appropriate placement of all children who are eligible for enrollment in school. The Superintendent or designee shall inform parents/guardians of children seeking admission to a district school about admission requirements and shall assist them with enrollment procedures.

The Superintendent or designee shall announce and publicize the timeline and process for registration of students on the district’s Lodi USD website. Applications for intradistrict or interdistrict enrollment shall be subject to the timelines specified in applicable Board policies and administrative regulations.

All appropriate staff shall receive training on district admission policies and procedures, including information regarding the types of documentation that can and cannot be requested.

Verification of Admission Eligibility
Before enrolling any child in a district school, the Superintendent or designee shall verify the child's age, residence within the district, immunization, and other applicable eligibility criteria specified in law, the accompanying administrative regulation, or other applicable Board policy or administrative regulation.

The district shall not inquire into or request documentation of a student's social security number or the last four digits of the social security number or the citizenship or immigration status of the student or the student's family members. However, such information may be collected when required by state or federal law or to comply with requirements for special state or federal programs. Enrollment in a district school shall not be denied on the basis of any such information of the student or the student's parents/guardians obtained by the district, or the student's or parent’s/guardian's refusal to provide such information to the district.

School registration information shall list all possible means of documenting a child's age for entry into grades K-1 as authorized by Education Code 48002 or otherwise prescribed by the Board. Any alternative document allowed by the district shall be one that all persons can obtain regardless of immigration status, citizenship status, or national origin and shall not reveal information related to citizenship or immigrant status.

The Superintendent or designee shall immediately enroll a homeless student, foster youth, student who has had contact with the juvenile justice system, or a child of a military family regardless of outstanding fees or fines owed to the student's last school, lack of clothing normally required by the school, such as school uniforms, or an inability to produce previous academic, medical, or other records normally required for enrollment.

Rule 5111

Adopted: 06/02/1998

Last Revised: 09/18/2012

The legal evidences of age, in order of desirability, are a birth certificate, baptismal certificate duly attested, passport or immigration certificate

Age of Admittance to Grades K-1

A child shall be eligible for enrollment in kindergarten or first grade, at the beginning of the school year or at a later time in the same year, if the child has his/her fifth or sixth birthday, respectively, on or before one of the following dates:

1. December 2 of the 2011-12 school year
2. November 1 of the 2012-13 school year
3. October 1 of the 2013-14 school year
4. September 1 of the 2014-15 school year and each school year thereafter

Any child who will have his/her fifth birthday between the date listed above for the applicable school year and December 2 shall be offered a transitional kindergarten program in accordance with law and Board policy.

On a case-by-case basis, a child who reaches age five after the date listed above for the applicable school year may be admitted to kindergarten at any time during the school year with the approval of the child's parent/guardian, provided that:

1. The Superintendent or designee determines that the admittance is in the best interests of the child.
2. The parent/guardian is given information regarding the advantages and disadvantages and any other explanatory information about the effect of this early admittance.

In determining whether a child may be granted early entry to kindergarten, the Superintendent or designee may also consider the availability of classroom space and any negotiated maximum class size.

Documentation of Age/Grade

Prior to the admission of a child to kindergarten or first grade, the parent/guardian shall present proof of the child's age.

Evidence of the child's age may include:

1. A certified copy of a birth certificate or a statement by the local registrar or county recorder certifying the date of birth
2. A duly attested baptism certificate
3. Passport

When none of the foregoing is obtainable, the parent/guardian may provide any other appropriate means of proving the age of the child.

A student enrolling in a district school at any other grade level shall present records from his/her previous school district documenting his/her age and current grade level.