Request for Reassignment for Students who are Chatham County Residents

Regulation Code: 4150R Rules and Procedure: School Reassignment

1. Parents/guardians of Chatham County Schools (CCS) students wanting to request a reassignment of school for their child(ren) are required to complete and submit a CCS Request for Reassignment Form (one form for each child) for the reassignment to be considered.

2. For this process, schools will be placed in one of three categories based on OR/Ed student population projections and other factors:

• Schools whose student population is currently or projected to be below 95% of its brick and mortar capacity.

• Schools whose student population is currently or projected to be between 95% and 100% of its brick and mortar capacity.

• Schools whose student population is currently or projected to be at or above 100% of its brick and mortar capacity.

3. Requests for student assignment/reassignment to schools who are currently or projected to be below 95% of their brick and mortar capacity will be reviewed/processed as they are received.

4. Requests for student assignment/reassignment to schools who are currently or projected to be at or above 100% of their brick and mortar capacity will be reviewed/processed as they are received. Reassignment requests for schools that exceed the rated brick and mortar capacity will not be considered unless the student is a child of an employee. 

5. Requests for student assignment/reassignment to schools who are currently or projected to be between 95% to 100% of their brick and mortar capacity for the requested year will be reviewed/processed as follows:

• Requests for the current year will be approved only for the current year and will require a new application for the upcoming year.

• Requests for the upcoming year will be processed after July 1st to allow full consideration of actual student enrollment and other critical factors, will be approved only for the current year, and will require a new application for the upcoming year.

• Reassignment requests for schools that exceed the rated brick and mortar capacity will not be considered unless the student is a child of an employee. 

7. The Chatham County Board of Education does not grant transfers between schools for reasons of athletic participation. In accordance with North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) rules, a student who is granted a voluntary transfer away from the base or assigned school to another Chatham County School shall not participate in interscholastic athletic activities for 365 days from the first approved transfer date. This waiting period does not apply to students whose transfer is due to a bona fide change in residence as defined by the NCHSAA. Students entering ninth grade for the first time are eligible to participate in athletic activities and are not required to seek a waiver.

Students granted a transfer within the district may apply to the Superintendent for a waiver of the athletic waiting period, and the Superintendent or designee may grant such waivers according to the following guidelines:

a. Parents must submit a written waiver request on a form available from the office of the district Athletic Director. Parents should submit a copy of the transfer approval letter and any other supporting documentation. The parent must provide reliable information demonstrating that the transfer was requested for one or more of the following acceptable reasons for reassignment, as outlined under Item 8, and was not entirely or partially for reasons of athletic eligibility:

b. Students who transfer out of a Chatham County School to another school district, charter school or private school, and then transfer back into a Chatham County School, without a bona fide change in residence, shall not participate in athletics for 365 days from the date of transfer. Such transfer students are not eligible for waivers from the Superintendent or Board of Education. If the sending school is a member of NCHSAA, the student may seek a waiver directly from the NCHSAA. The NCHSAA rules and procedures for seeking a waiver are available from the district Athletic Director.

Policy Code: 4150 School Assignment E. Conditions for Reassignment or Transfer

The following conditions apply in regard to any reassignments or transfers made in accordance with Sections C and D of this policy:

1. The parent or guardian is responsible for transportation (except for reassignments or transfers of homeless students or students in foster care based on the student’s best interest, for which the system will provide transportation in a manner consistent with legal requirements and Policy 4125).

2. The transfer or reassignment is valid through the terminal year for the school to which the student is reassigned (except for (a) unsafe school choice transfers, for which the length of assignment will be consistent with legal requirements and Policy 4152; (b) homeless student transfers or reassignments for which the length of assignment will be consistent with legal requirements and Policy 4125; and (c) transfers or reassignment of students in foster care, for which the length of assignment will be consistent with legal requirements), unless otherwise stated.

3. Any transfer or reassignment request that is approved based upon false or misleading information will be declared void and will be rescinded.

Regulation Code: 4150R Rules and Procedure: School Reassignment 10. Factors Not Considered – The reassignment of a student may be denied or rescinded by the superintendent or designee for one or more of the following reasons:

a. Parent/Guardian Difference of Opinion with School Leadership/Rules. Citing quality of school, difference of opinion with school staff regarding grades, homework, discipline, retention, class assignment, etc., are not acceptable reasons to request a reassignment. 

b. Request is for Athletic Participation. Athletics or participation in athletics is not a sufficient reason for reassignment.

c. Redistricting. Students may not be reassigned into or out of schools that have been redistricted for one school year.

d. Any Transfer or Reassignment request that is approved based upon false or misleading information will be declared void and will be rescinded.

e. Students having excessive absences and/or tardies, repeated violations of the CCS Code of Civility, and/or is failing to pass all classes may have the reassignment rescinded.

Requests for Discretionary Admission for Students Who are Not Chatham County Residents

Regulation Code: 4150R Rules and Procedure: School Reassignment

6. A non-Chatham County resident student whose parent/guardian plans to move into the Chatham County School District on or before March 1st may be assigned to the school serving the student's new domicile upon pro-rated payment of tuition. Parents who are building a house must provide a building permit showing their house is under construction in the requested assignment area. Parents requesting this opportunity must complete and turn in the Chatham County Schools Request for Discretionary Admission form for this to be considered. Details related to this request may be found in BOE Policy 4130 Discretionary Admissions and Releases and BOE Policy 4135 Tuition for Discretionary Admissions.

Requesting a Release from Chatham County Schools

Chatham County residents wishing to transfer their child(ren) to another public school system, while residing in Chatham County, must complete a Request for Release Form in order to obtain a release from the CCS system.  This form must be completed annually, or as long as your child attends a school system outside of your Chatham County residence.

For more detailed descriptions, please see the Forms and BOE Policies located under the Files and Links on this webpage.