Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is the process by which a parent or guardian residing in an Iowa district may enroll their child(ren) into another Iowa school district under the terms and conditions of Iowa Code 282.18 and Iowa Administrative Code 281-17 as amended by Senate File 2435, Division VIII. Senate File 2435, Division VIII reinstates open enrollment deadlines for all applicants and takes effect July 1, 2024.
For more information please click here to access the Iowa Department of Education’s Open Enrollment webpage. It contains detailed information regarding the reinstated deadlines for open enrollment in Iowa as well as the Iowa Open Enrollment Handbook.
If you have any questions, please contact Joy Gibson in the Carlisle District Office at 515-989-5305 or by email at [email protected].
Additional Open Enrollment Information:
Transportation:
Parents are responsible for transporting children open enrolled to another district. This applies to all students,
including those with an individualized educational program (IEP). As a general rule, if the need for transportation is stated in the IEP as a related service, the parent is responsible for this obligation under open enrollment (Iowa Admin. Code r. 281—IAC 17.10).
If a child open enrolls to a district that is contiguous to (or borders) the home district and the parents’ income meets economic eligibility requirements, the family may receive a stipend for transportation or be provided transportation by the resident district (Iowa Admin. Code r. 281—IAC 17.8) For additional information, see the transportation assistance guidance on the Transportation Assistance webpage.
Athletic Eligibility:
Students who open enroll in grades nine through 12 are not eligible to participate in varsity contests and competitions during the first 90 school days of transfer (not counting summer school) unless an exception
applies allowing immediate eligibility.
A student is eligible if one of the following applies:
● If the student is entering 9th grade for the first time and did not participate in high school athletics for another school or school district during the summer after 8th grade
● If the district of residence and the other school district share the sporting activity
● If the sport is not available to the student in their resident district
● The open enrollment meets the definition of good cause
● If the resident district determines that the pupil was previously the subject of an incident of harassment or bullying (as defined in section 280.28);
● The board of directors or superintendent of the resident district issues or implements a decision that suspends the discontinuation or suspension of varsity interscholastic sports activities in the district of residence;
● The board of directors of the resident and receiving district agree to waive ineligibility;
● During the 2020-2021 school year, a student was enrolled in District A on the first day of school, enrolled in District B for a portion of the school year, and then re-enrolled in District A prior to July 1, 2021.
A student who is academically ineligible in their resident district remains ineligible in the receiving district for the remaining period of ineligibility declared by the resident district regardless of any of the circumstances above.
For other questions regarding eligibility, please contact the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) at 515-288-9741 or the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) at 515-432-2011.