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Littleton Public Schools Policy |
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Policy Code JFABB Policy Name Admission of Nonresident Foreign Students Adoption July 2, 1984 Revised February 27, 1997 |
The District recognizes the value of the cultural interactions which occur when students from other countries are present in the schools. The following guidelines will help foreign students, their host families, and schools maximize the educational benefits of the experience.
General Guidelines:
Foreign students must meet all District entrance requirements.
The number of foreign exchange students accepted will be collaboratively determined annually by the building administration and the appropriate instructional services administrator.
The available openings will be distributed among various exchange organizations with no organization having more than two students per school as a general rule.
Guidelines for Foreign Exchange Programs:
To be eligible for participation, a sponsoring organization must be authorized to apply for issuance of J-1 visas, listed in the “Advisory List of International Educational Travel and Exchange Programs,” and approved by the appropriate instructional services administrator.
The organization must also have a local representative in the Denver metro area.
All placements must be approved in advance by the building principal before spaces will be reserved. This means that both the exchange student and the host family will be identified. Students will attend schools where children of the host family attend. If the host family has no school-age children, students will attend the school in the attendance area of the host family unless an open enrollment application is approved per Board Policy JFBA. Students living with more than one host family will attend the school where they begin the school year. Students who move to a host family living outside the District boundaries during the course of the school year may complete the school year in the LPS high school they are currently attending.
Students will only be accepted at the beginning of the school year, and LPS will not accept transfer students during the year from other school districts.
Preference will be given to host families with children whose age/grade levels are close to those of the visiting student.
Last-minute arrivals with no prior approval may not be accepted.
Foreign exchange students whose standards of behavior are inconsistent with those of the school will incur appropriate disciplinary action and may be asked to leave LPS.
Guidelines for Exchange Students:
In order for the exchange experience to be successful, students must be proficient in the use of the English language. Proof of such proficiency must be provided. English as a Second Language classes will not be available to foreign exchange students.
LPS cannot accept students who have completed a high school course of study, been formally matriculated, or reached the age of 18 before the school year has started.
Because it is difficult to certify the educational program of the student prior to coming to LPS, diplomas cannot automatically be awarded to foreign exchange students, even if the experience is the culmination of their high school career. The building principal will review academic records to determine if a student’s high school educational program is equivalent to graduation requirements for students of that LPS high school before granting a diploma.
Because there is such a high demand for participation in exchange programs, students will be limited to a one-year experience.
Guidelines for Foreign Students Not in a Formal Exchange Program:
Occasionally, private individuals request to have a friend or relative visit for an academic year. LPS strongly encourages these students to go through a formal program. If this is impossible, the following requirements must be met before the School District will issue an I -20 form attesting that the foreign student meets the District’s admission requirements. The U.S. embassy in the student’s home country issues an F-1 visa.
Payment of the current full, unsubsidized per capita costs of an education to the LPS Office of Business Services.
The prior approval of the principal.
Proof of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language.
Correspondence from the parents of the student indicating their support for the experience and their responsibility to provide immediate transportation home for the child in the event of a problem.
Power of attorney or guardianship, including health insurance by the host family.
Appropriate immunization documents.
I –20 forms will be issued for twelve months only.
Public school districts may no longer issue I-20 forms to students in grades K–8.
Cross Reference: JFBA, Intradistrict Choice/Open Enrollment and Transfers