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Policy 501.8-R
Student Registration, Enrollment and Placement
NOTE: The District will be using a central application process for Alternate Programs in elementary grades in January 2012. This includes Early French Immersion, Late French Immersion and Montessori. Several provisional changes have been made to this policy to reflect that change. Changes are noted in red bold-face.
1. Introduction
The School Act requires Boards to provide an educational program free of charge to any person of school age who is ordinarily resident in British Columbia, and whose parent or legal guardian is ordinarily resident in British Columbia.
This regulation governs the registration, enrollment and placement of the following types of students in the Richmond School District:
• catchment student: a student who resides in a school’s catchment area and has first priority to attend that school if registered by the district deadline.
• transfer student: a non catchment or non school district student who requests to attend a school other than their catchment school.
• placed student: a student who is not able to enroll in their catchment school due to lack of space and facilities at the time of enrollment, with the result that the student is placed by the district in a nearby school.
This Regulation does not apply to fee paying students, whose registration and enrollment is governed by district Regulation 501.7.2-R.
School catchment areas have been defined to enable an equitable distribution of student enrollment in all schools. School catchment areas and feeder schools are defined and approved by the Board of Education (Richmond) in the district document “Secondary Boundary Descriptions” and “Elementary Boundary Descriptions”. Except as provided for by this Regulation, a student will normally attend the school located in the catchment area in which their parent’s or legal guardian’s place of residence is located.
A school district child who applies for enrollment in an educational program in the district shall be provided with an educational program unless the parents of the student consent to enroll in a school or program outside of the district.
Requests on behalf of a student wishing to attend a non catchment school will be considered subject to the availability of space and facilities in the requested school as determined by the requirements set forth in Section 3 of this Regulation.
This Regulation, in governing student admissions to district schools, will endeavor to:
• maximize the number of students able to attend their catchment school;
• support the continuity and stability for students and their families in their choice of educational programs for the student;
• maximize the parent’s and student’s ability to choose the school and educational program which best meets the educational needs of the student; • utilize school and district resources in ways that will best accommodate the demand of space and facilities and minimize the need for adjustments during the school year.
The Board delegates to the Superintendent or designate, the power to assign and reassign students to specific schools when circumstances warrant, to establish alternative enrollment procedures for continuing students, and to establish application dates, other than those set forth in this regulation, for different schools, programs, grades and students.
2. Student Registration Requirements
a. Registration of Catchment Students by Parents / Guardians
A newly arrived student must be personally registered in a Richmond school by either a parent or legal guardian. The first date by which a student may be registered at their catchment school for the next school year is January 15th.
Before a district student can request a transfer, the student must first be registered or enrolled their catchment school.
A legal guardian of a child is defined within the meaning established in the Family Relations Act and is the person who has legal control of the child as designated by a governmental ministry or a Canadian court order issued by a judge. The district will not accept a parent designating a third person as the child’s “guardian” using a notarized or lawyer’s document.
To enable an efficient student admission process, it is essential that parents and legal guardians provide accurate demographical and educational information about the student on school registration forms and/or district Transfer Application Forms. Incorrect information may result in the student being denied enrollment.
b. Documentation
It is necessary for the parent or legal guardian to personally attend when registering a student in the Richmond district and present the following original documentation:
(1) Proof of British Columbia residency (mortgage document, rental agreements subject to verification by the school, tax notice or unconditional Contract of Purchase and Sale with an established possession date).
(2) The student’s official birth certificate.
(3) Applicable Immigration / Citizenship / Permanent Resident documentation.
(4) The student’s last report card, if available.
(5) Legal guardian document [i.e. Canadian Court Order], if applicable.
(6) Immunization records, if available.
c. Locations for Registration
A BC resident student who wishes to enroll in a Richmond school may register in the following locations during the specified time periods:
(1) at the student’s catchment school, or if a non school district child, at the requested school - from the last week in August to the first week in July.
(2) at the District Registration Center located in the School District Administration Building - during the last three weeks of July and the first three weeks of August.
d. Dates of Registration
(1) Registration by June 15th
A newly arrived student who registers at their catchment school by June 15th is guaranteed a place at that school for the subsequent school year.
(2) Registrations after June 15th
A newly arrived student who registers at their catchment school after June 15th will have their name placed on the School Placement List, with a priority of enrollment at the school dependent on the time and date of registration.
NOTE: Sections (3) and (4) below no longer apply. All students new to Richmond or students who have moved to a new catchment area within Richmond must first register at their catchment area school. If the student wishes to apply for an Alternate Program (Early French Immersion, Late French Immersion or Montessori) s/he may request an application form from the neighbourhood school and submit the completed application at the School Board Office no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012. Acceptance into Alternate Programs and school placement will then be determined through a district-wide random draw process (with sibling priority).
(3) Registration deadline by April 1st for French Immersion
A newly arrived student must register by April 1st for French Immersion. If applications exceed space availability, then students will be selected through a draw.
(4) Registrations after April 1st for French Immersion
A newly arrived student who registers at their catchment school after April 1st, will have their name placed in the School Placement List, with a priority of enrolment at the school dependent on the time and date of registration.
e. Foreign Students
A student who does not have Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident status, resides in Richmond with a parent / legal guardian and wishes to enroll in a district school must be referred to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools prior to registration. The same requirement also applies if the parent or legal guardian does not have Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident status, even if their children do.
f. International Students
International students, that is Foreign Students who are eligible to attend a Richmond school by paying a fee as defined in district Regulation 501.7.2-R, will be registered and enrolled in Richmond schools following the procedures outlined in that Regulation.
g. Alternative Registration Procedures
(1) Continuing school district students are not required to apply annually to attend their school of enrollment. Such students will be enrolled automatically in the program or school, subject to space availability and meeting program requirements, unless transferred or withdrawn.
(2) Transfer students who wish to return to their catchment school for the next school year are required to advise their current school of enrollment of their intent and register at their catchment school by June 15th, if they wish to be guaranteed a place in their catchment school for the coming school year.
(3) A non school district student who attended a school in the previous school year and wishes to attend in the subsequent school year is required to submit an SA 73 Transfer Application Form [Non School District Child] to their school of enrollment by March 1st.
h. Removal of an Enrolled Student’s Name from the School Register
An enrolled student will be removed from the school’s register if the student has not returned to school by 12:00 noon on the Wednesday after school opening in September and their parent or legal guardian has not advised the school of the student’s late return in writing. The district form, Notice of Late Return, can be used for this purpose.
3. Determination of Available Space
a. Accommodation of Students By Schools
Section 74.1 of the School Act establishes priorities for student enrollment, which apply if the Board determines that space and facilities are available in a school.
Space and facilities are available in a school for transfer students if there is excess capacity, taking into account both physical and instructional resources and after reasonable enrollment projections have been made to allow for the accommodation of students using the following categories and priorities:
 b. The Availability of Space in Schools:
The Board of Education (Richmond) delegates to the Superintendent of Schools or designate, the decisions to determine whether space and facilities are available in individual schools in the school district for purposes of the School Act.
Decisions are to be made in consultation with the principal of the affected school and will be based on program capacity, including consideration of the following factors:
(1) operating capacity of the school as defined by the Ministry of Education;
(2) the physical space in which instructional programs operate in the school;
(3) the school staff assigned to a school by the district;
(4) the ability of the school to provide appropriate educational programs for the applicant and other students.
While physical student space may be available in a classroom or program at a given school under provincial class size legislation, non catchment student transfers will not be approved in a school that is designated as “full” by the school district. Schools will be reviewed annually by the school district and designated as “full” for the coming school year in January, based on expected enrollment and available space and facilities. “Full” schools will be reviewed periodically by the district to monitor availability of space.
4. Student Placement Process
This section applies only to a placed student - that is, a catchment student who is newly arrived in the district, is not able to attend their catchment school due to lack of available space and facilities in that school and is placed by the district Student Placement Officer or the Superintendent’s designate at a nearby school.
No provision will be made by the school district for transportation of a student placed by the district if the distance from the student’s home to the school of attendance is within the walk limits established by the Ministry of Education [4.2 kilometers for elementary students and 4.8 kilometers for secondary students].
a. Available Space and Student Placement
If available space does not allow a newly arrived student to be enrolled in their catchment school, the school principal shall advise the Student Placement Officer who will place the student in a nearby school.
b. School Placement List
Schools will establish a School Placement List for any newly arrived catchment student who registers between June 16th and the end of the first week in July. The names of these students will be included on the District Placement List established at the District Registration Center during July and August.
c. Priority of Students on School Placement List
Any student on a School Placement List will be enrolled in a nearby school using a priority based on the date and time of their registration.
d. Return of Placed Students to Catchment School
A placed student may return to their catchment school earlier than September of the next school year if space and facilities become available at the school during the school year.
5. Student Transfer Requirements
This section only applies to a transfer student who wishes to attend a non catchment school or district program and whose eligibility to enroll depends on applying by the district deadline and the availability of space and facilities at the requested school.
NOTE: The Student Placement Oficer will determine the January date upon which Transfer Requests will begin to be accepted.
a. Transfer Students Who Apply By March 1st
If space an d facilities are available in a school or district program, and the students identified in Section 3 have been accommodated, a student who applies by March 1st to attend the requested school or district program will be approved to attend within each student category in accordance with the following priorities on a “first come, first serve” basis:
 b. Non School District Students
If space and facilities are available at the requested school, a non school district child who applies by March 1st has priority over a non catchment child who applies after March 1st or a catchment child who registers after June 15th.
A non school district student wishing to enroll in a Richmond school or district program must first submit an SA 73 Transfer Application Form [Non School District Child] to the requested school and then register at the requested school or district program in accordance with the requirements of this Regulation. Non school district students are required to present proof of BC residency at the requested school as outlined in paragraph 2 b. (1) of this Regulation.
c. Multiple Applications
Parents of a student requesting a transfer to more than one school or district program must prioritize their transfer applications on the applicable district Transfer Application Form and submit an original copy of the transfer form to each of the requested schools or district programs. The student will only be offered a place in the requested school with the highest priority, as designated by the parent, that has available space and facilities.
If a parent, in submitting multiple applications to schools or district programs, does not designate a unique priority for each requested school as required by this Regulation, then the student’s priority will be determined by the time and date that each application is received at the requested school(s) or district program.
NOTE: The date of first acceptance for Transfer Requests will not be January 15, 2012. It will be January 23, 2012.
d. School Wait List
Schools will establish a School Wait List for first time, transfer applicants commencing at 8:00 a.m. on January 23, 2012, that will priority order the students in accordance with their category [non catchment and non school district] and the date / time of application.
e. District Students
Before a district student can request a transfer, the student must first be registered or enrolled at
their catchment school. Application to a school other than the student’s catchment school may then be made using the SA 23 Transfer Application Form [School District Child] and considered by the school principal within the requirements of this regulation.
f. Student Applications and Registrations After March 1st
(1) A transfer applicant who applies after March 1st, is not eligible under Section 74.1 (6) and (6.1) of the School Act to enroll in an educational program of their choosing. However, such students may be considered for enrollment in the school or program at the discretion of the principal if space and facilities are available and in accordance with the set of priorities and criteria set forth in paragraph 5. f. (4) below.
(2) A late transfer applicant who applies after March 1st and has been placed on the School Wait List will not have their application reviewed until September enrollments are confirmed, unless known available space in the school will allow the student to have their enrollment approved in advance of school opening.
(3) In order for late, first time transfer applicants to be eligible for enrollment in a requested school, they must have one of the following reasons as the basis for their application: sibling; daycare [elementary]; two or more related courses not offered at the catchment school [secondary]; or unique circumstances which warrant special consideration in the judgment of the school principals.
(4) Students with priorities 1.1 to 2.6 inclusive have precedence over late transfer applicants who apply after March 1st. If space and facilities allow, the following priorities will be used to enroll a student in a district school after March 1st:
 g. Right of the Board to Refuse a Student Enrollment
The Board may refuse to enroll a non district child under Section 2(2) of the School Act if the child is a student suspended by a Board or to whom a Board has refused to offer an educational program under Section 85 (2) of the School Act.
h. School Program Requirements
When a transfer student applies by the school deadline to enroll in a specific educational program of the school, the applicant must meet all program requirements and be subject to the selection process determined for that program.
Parents may only apply for their child to be enrolled in a unique school program after the initial transfer into the school has already been approved by the school principal. Students will only be considered for enrollment in one unique school’s program at a time.
i. Withdrawing from a District Program
If a student who is enrolled in an alternative or district program (e.g. French Immersion, Montessori) withdraws during the school year, they are expected to return to their catchment school. However, the student may apply to transfer to another educational program offered at the current school of attendance if space and facilities are available and the transfer is deemed to be in the best interests of the child and the school.
j. Removal of a Transfer Student’s Name from the Catchment or Previous School Register
Students who apply for a transfer by March 1st and have been approved to attend the requested school will have their name and student record removed on April 7th from the register of their catchment school or their previous school of attendance.
If a transfer applicant applies after March 1st and is approved, then the student’s name and record will be removed from their catchment or previous school’s register on the twenty-first day after being approved.
k. Withdrawal of an Approved Transfer Request
In order for a student to have their approved transfer application withdrawn from the requested school, the requested school must be advised in writing of the withdrawal. The date that the withdrawal letter is received at the requested school will be the date used to establish the student’s entitlement to re-enroll at their catchment school or previous school of attendance
6. District Timelines
The student admission process used by the Richmond School District involves a number of key events and dates, which are summarized in the attached Guidelines 501.8-G. These dates will be communicated by schools to parents by the end of the first week after school commences in January.
Board Concurrence of Revisions: 05 December 2005
Board Concurrence of Revisions: 06 December 2010
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