It shall be the policy of the Wilkes County Board of Education to permit students who are domiciled in another state or in another administrative unit in this state to attend the Wilkes County Schools. Those students must be granted a release from the Board of Education of the administrative unit in which the student is domiciled. The student must also have been in good standing at the school he last attended and meet the conditions of this policy.
The term "domicile" shall mean a person's permanent, established home rather than a temporary, although actual place of residence.
- Tuition fees are as follows:
The following persons would be required to pay tuition:
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- Students who are not domiciliaries of North Carolina, regardless of their current residence.
- Students who are domiciliaries of North Carolina but do not reside in Wilkes County.
- Tuition may be waived if the student meets one of the following criteria:
Tuition may be waived if there is a written student assignment agreement between the Wilkes County Administrative Unit and the administrative unit in which the student is domiciled, which specifies that payment of tuition shall be waived. Also tuition may be waived for those students who are placed in or assigned to group homes, foster homes, or other similar facilities in Wilkes County.
Reciprocal
Watauga
Alleghany
Alexander
Ashe
Non-Reciprocal
Iredell
Surry
Caldwell
Yadkin
Elkin
The domicile of a student shall be determined by the domicile of the student’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s). If the student’s parents are separated or divorced, domicile shall be determined by the parent who has custody.
EXCEPTIONS:
- A student who is eighteen (18) years of age or older, married or emancipated may establish his /her own domicile separate from his/her parents or guardians.
- A pupil who is abandoned by hislher parents may be domiciled with his/her next of kin. A student could be considered abandoned when his parents willfully refuse or neglect to provide a home for their minor child.
- A student who is considered to be homeless as defined by G.S. 115C-366.1
If a reciprocal agreement exists between the Wilkes County Schools and another administrative unit specifying there will be no tuition charges between the two units, the Wilkes County School System will continue to honor that agreement. If no agreement exists with a school administrative unit, the tuition charge will be the same as the per pupil local allocation by the Wilkes County Commission each year. If there are students presently enrolled in the Wilkes County Schools from counties where there is no reciprocal agreement with the Wilkes County School System, they may remain enrolled at no charge. To qualify for this exemption, a student must have been enrolled on the last day of the 1996-1997 school year and for ninety-one (91) days of the 1996-1997 school year. If these exempt students have brothers or sisters who plan to start and attend the Wilkes County Schools on or after the 1997-1998 school year they will be subject to the tuition charge.
Tuition may be paid in full prior to the school year or in two equal installments at the beginning of each term. If one half of the annual tuition is not paid prior to the commencement of the first term, the student shall not be enrolled. If the remainder of the tuition is not paid prior to the commencement of the second term, the parents of the pupil shall be notified that they shall have 10 days to pay the required amount. If it is not paid within 10 days, the student shall be excluded from school. The principal in the receiving school shall collect the tuition and remit tuition to the Wilkes County Schools Administrative Offices. One half of the tuition will be allocated to the receiving school to purchase instructional materials and supplies.
There will be no tuition charge for out-of-county students if their parent(s) work twenty (20) hours or more for the Wilkes County School System.
EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN:
If an out-of-district student wishing to transfer to the Wilkes County School System is an identified exceptional child, the Wilkes County Director of Exceptional Children must be contacted by the parents or the child. The director of exceptional children for Wilkes County will contact the director of exceptional children in the district where the exceptional child was enrolled previously, and if given permission, will review the Individual Education Plan (IEP) of the exceptional child to determine the cost of service to the child. A contract will be drawn with the school system from which the exceptional child is transferring obligating that system to cover the cost that Wilkes County must pay to continue to educate the exceptional child. If access to the IEP is not granted or if the administrative unit from which the student is transferring refuses to sign the contract, Wilkes County will refuse to accept the transfer of the exceptional child. Tuition will not be charged to students who are domiciliaries of the State and who reside in the school district. However, the Board of Education may enter an agreement with the Board of Education of the student’s domicile for payment of tuition by that board.
Tuition fees are due at the appropriate school office on or after July 1 of each year and must be received by the school prior to the student's enrollment. No waiver of tuition is permitted except as required by applicable law. No student may attend any school until the applicable tuition fee is paid in full. If a student desires to enroll after the beginning of second semester of any school year, only half of applicable fee is to be assessed, and that fee must be paid prior to the enrollment.
The superintendent shall determine, in accordance with applicable law, the domicile and residence of each student desiring to attend the Wilkes County Schools.
Legal References: G.S. 115C-366 to -366.2
Cross References: Discretionary Admission (policy 4130)
Adopted: January 9, 2006