The below are the School Committee Policies that are related to Kindergarten enrollment and placement
ENROLLMENT OF STUDENTS File: JC-R
1. Kindergarten Registration
Students are placed in the school of the parents’ first choice, according to the priorities listed below. In the event there is an over-enrollment in any school after children with priority have been placed, a lottery will be held which will provide a fair way for all other children to be placed in the school of their highest choice.
2. Students Moving into Acton or Boxborough
Every effort will be made to place students (K-6) who move to Acton or Boxborough in the schools requested by their parents, with preference given, if necessary, according to the priorities below. However, in certain circumstances it may not be possible to place these students in the school of their first choice.
3. Transfers between Elementary Schools
A parent or guardian who wishes to transfer his or her child from one elementary school to another shall go on line to https://abschools-registration.hosted.src-solutions.com/ to setup an account and request to be added to the wait list.
Please be sure to answer the following question -Yes:
“Is your child attending one of Acton-Boxborough elementary schools in Kindergarten through 6th Grade (not including the Preschool); and do you wish to place your student on a waitlist for another elementary school?”
Any transfer requests that are made during the school year up to July 1, will be considered in July for transfer in September. Students will rarely be transferred during the school year to minimize disruptions.
4. Priorities to be used in Assigning Students
a. Providing for children with special needs and/or accessibility accommodations - These students will be placed appropriately upon the recommendation of Student Services.
b. Keeping families together - It is important to build a strong core of families who can devote their energies to their school’s activities. Volunteerism, active parent/teacher organizations, and parent involvement in advisory groups and the like are valuable school resources. So is a long-term family connection to their school community. Therefore, if the newly enrolling student has a sibling in the Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools and that sibling attended an Acton or Boxborough elementary school, the newly enrolling student will be given school selection preference at that same school.
* A sibling is defined as: “a relative (by birth, adoption or guardianship) who is living in the same home.”
c. Encouraging walking to school - Children should walk to school wherever possible for economic and energy-saving reasons. Therefore, students who live within a one mile safe walk will be given preference when placing students. A safe walk will include sidewalks on major roads and crossing guards when students need to cross a major road.
d. Children who are retained in kindergarten receive priority for all day kindergarten. If they request to transfer to another school, they receive priority to attend that school.
e. Children who live in Boxborough are guaranteed a spot at the Blanchard School if they choose, and children who live in Acton are guaranteed a spot at an Acton school if they choose. Exceptions to this may be made for special education reasons or for other reasons as determined by the Superintendent. Rev 12/9/16
ASSIGNMENT OF STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR HOMESCHOOLING File: JCAC
Students transferring from another school or district or from homeschooling into the Acton Boxborough Regional Schools will be placed in a grade based on their age on or before September 1 of the current school year.
A student enrolling who is five years old on or before September 1 of the current school year will be placed in Kindergarten.
A student enrolling who is six years old on or before September 1 of the current school year, and who has completed kindergarten, will be placed in first grade.
A student enrolling who is seven years old or older on or before September 1 of the current school year will be placed in the age appropriate grade, unless the student has attended a different grade level in his or her previous school district. In this case, the student will be placed according to the building principal’s evaluation for a grade placement.
Students enrolling in grades 7 through 12 from another school or district or from homeschooling into the Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools will be placed based on placement testing and a review of records from the student’s previous school(s). Students enrolled in school elsewhere will not be permitted to enroll in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District. Students who have earned a diploma or the equivalent from another secondary school will not be permitted to enroll in the Acton Boxborough Regional School District.
Ref: Kindergarten Entrance Policy JEB
MGL Chapter 76 Section 1
Approved 1/22/15
KINDERGARTEN ENTRANCE POLICY File: JEB
This policy is designed to reduce the age span and therefore, normally, the developmental span in a classroom in order to enable instruction more suitably tailored to the children in the class.
Children reaching the age of five on or before September 1 are eligible to be enrolled in Kindergarten in September of that calendar year. Approved 1/22/15
RESIDENCY AND STUDENT ENROLLMENT File: JF
Pursuant to Massachusetts General Law, in order to attend the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, a student must actually reside in the town of Acton or the town of Boxborough. The residence of a minor child is presumed to be the legal, primary residence of the parents or legal guardians who have physical custody of the child. “Residency” is defined as the place where a person has his/her permanent home, not temporarily, and is the center of his/her domestic, social, and civic life.
In determining residency, the Acton Boxborough Regional School District reserves the right to request a variety of documentation when students are initially enrolled in the schools, or in the course of any investigation intended to verify residency.
I. Registration Process and Residency Verification
Before any student is to be enrolled in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, his or her parent or legal guardian must provide to the school(s) proof of residency, proof of legal guardianship of the child being registered and other documentation pertaining to academic and medical records. Families should be prepared to furnish all of the following during the registration process:
a. Copy of birth certificate for student
b. Copy of student’s current immunization record and physical examination (within the last year)
c. Copies of previous school records - report cards or transcripts, MCAS scores if moving within the state of MA
d. A signed Statement/Affidavit of Occupancy
e. Copy of photo identification of parent/guardian
i. Evidence of Identification: including, but not limited to one of the following: valid driver’s license, MA Photo ID card, valid passport, or other government issued photo ID
f. Proof of residency & occupancy in Acton or Boxborough - note that parent/guardian name must be listed:
i. Evidence of Residency: including but not limited to recent mortgage payment or property tax bill, fully signed and executed lease and/or rental agreement, fully signed and executed purchase and sale (P&S) agreement (provided occupancy date occurs before a student can be registered), Section 8 agreement
AND
ii. Evidence of Occupancy: Including but not limited to gas/oil bill, electric bill, home (not cell) telephone bill, cable bill, water bill (note: bill must be dated within the past 45 days and address and name must be stated)
When applicable, families must also provide the District with:
g. Copies of any IEP or 504 Plan documentation for the student
h. Parenting plan for divorced or separated parents/guardians
II. Enforcement
Residency can, and does, change for students and families; therefore the District reserves the right to
request additional, updated information at any time, and to routinely verify the residency of students in the District. Questions concerning any student’s residency in Acton or Boxborough will be subject to further inquiry and/or investigation. Such questions concerning residency may arise on the basis of incomplete, suspicious, or contradictory proofs of address; anonymous tips; correspondence that is returned because of an invalid or unknown address, or other grounds.
The Deputy Superintendent or his/her designee may request additional documentation and may use the assistance of the District’s School Resource Officer to assist with or conduct investigations into student residency. A report of findings will be provided to the Superintendent, who shall make an initial determination of residency.
Upon determination that a student is not actually residing in Acton or Boxborough, the student’s enrollment in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District shall be terminated. In addition to termination of enrollment and the imposition of other penalties permitted by law, the Acton Boxborough Regional School District reserves the right to recover restitution based upon the costs of educational services during the period of non-residency.
III. Exceptions & Extraordinary Circumstances
The residency requirements may be waived upon request for the following:
a. Students who are entitled to attend the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act or the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA);
b. Students who are in the Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) foster care system (which includes foster family homes, foster homes of relatives, emergency shelters (including STARR programs and Transitional Care units), residential facilities, child care institutions, group homes, and pre-adoptive homes);
c. Students enrolled in the High School under special programs approved by the School Committee, such as educational exchange programs;
d. Children of non-resident employees of the Acton Boxborough Regional School District, who meet the conditions established by the School Committee in the policy pertaining to such students;
e. Students accepted and/or grandfathered into the District through the School Choice program;
f. Students whose parents divorce or separate and share physical custody, provided one custodial parent remains a resident of Acton or Boxborough, and the student splits their time between the two districts in an even manner. The most current custody agreement and/or approved parenting plan must be provided in these circumstances;
g. For children whose families have signed and accepted a Purchase and Sale Agreement to purchase and reside in a dwelling in Acton or Boxborough, who may be enrolled up to 60 calendar days in advance of the time actual physical residency occurs.
If the request to waive residency requirements is granted, student transportation during the period of non-residency shall be the responsibility of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s), except for III-a or III-b above.
Below are extraordinary circumstances in which additional exceptions may be considered, at the discretion of the Superintendent or his/her designee.
a. If a student’s family moves from Acton or Boxborough on or after April 1st of a given school year, the parents or legal guardians may place a request in writing to the Superintendent to have their student(s) remain in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District for the completion of the academic year. To be considered for this exception, families must make the request to the Superintendent at least two weeks prior to such a move;
b. If a student is a senior at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, and their family moves out of the District on or after October 1st of a given school year, the parents or legal guardians may submit a request in writing to the Superintendent to have their student(s) remain in the District for the completion of the academic year;
c. Current students who move out of Acton or Boxborough because of the severe or chronic illness of the student or immediate family member; the death of an immediate family member; disaster to the residence; or other circumstances having a significant impact upon the student.
Special requests and extraordinary circumstances that are not specifically articulated above must be presented in writing to the Superintendent or designee. The Superintendent has sole discretion in rendering a decision for these requests, and those decisions are final.
REF: JF-E Proof of Residency Affidavit
MGL c. 76 s. 5
MGL c. 76 s. 6
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Approved 1/22/15, 2/6/2020