How do i get my child transferred to another school
School District Transfer With an IEP: 8 Steps to Take
Switching schools can be challenging enough, but a school district transfer can be even trickier—especially if your child has an IEP. You want to make sure the new school district has the necessary information to provide the supports your child needs.
Under the federal special education law , all public schools must provide a (FAPE) for kids with disabilities. But not every school district provides special education services in the same way. The rules for eligibility and delivering services to students can vary.
Here are steps to take when transferring school districts.
1. Notify your current and future school district of your plans in writing.
Typically, you need to let your child’s current school know you’re changing schools. Ask the principal for the appropriate form. You also need to contact the new district to get information on how to register your child for school.
In most districts, kids attend the school that’s zoned for their home address. But many larger school districts allow parents to choose which school their child attends. In that case, you need to contact your new district to learn about its policy on choice and how to register your child. (There might be an application process or a lottery.)
2. Request and review your child’s school records.
In the process of changing schools, the new school will receive your child’s education records automatically. But you may want to request to see the records and check for inaccuracies before they get sent.
Be sure to check for outdated material on your child’s records. For example, there may be a disciplinary problem from a few years ago. You may want to write a letter to the new district to explain the incident. Or you could request that your current school take it off the record entirely if it was an isolated incident.
It can also help to gather any additional documentation the current school may not have that you’d like to share, such as private evaluations.
3. Talk about how the district will proceed with your child’s IEP.
If your child already has an IEP and you move to another school district in the same state, your child’s new school has a choice. It can either accept your child’s current IEP or develop a new one. To develop a new IEP, the school district has to go through the standard IEP process.
Until the new school decides what to do, it must continue to give your child services “comparable” to those in your current IEP. The services might not be exactly the same, but they have to be similar. (Learn more about what happens to the IEP if you move to a school district in the same state, a new state, and other scenarios.)
4. Talk to the new district about any pending special education services.
If your child was in the process of being evaluated when you moved, make sure the new school district knows that. You can also request an evaluation from your new district if the process hadn’t yet begun.
(Download a sample request letter.)
5. Identify the new district’s IEP coordinator.
Every public school district has a staff member who coordinates IEPs. Check the school website for the coordinator’s name and contact information. If you can’t find it, ask the principal.
6. Introduce yourself to the coordinator.
In a letter to the coordinator, describe your child’s strengths and hobbies, as well as services that have worked in the past. Be sure to mention activities your child enjoys, like science club, choir, or a sport.
7. Learn about your new district’s disciplinary policies.
Request a student handbook ahead of time so your child knows the rules at the new school. You don’t want your child to expect that there will be trouble. But if your child struggles with certain behaviors, it can be helpful to know the consequences, even if there’s a behavior plan in place.
8. Sign your child up for activities your new district offers.
If your child enjoys certain extracurricular activities at the old school, find out if your new school district offers them too. Getting to participate in a favorite activity can help your child feel comfortable in the new environment more quickly.
Transfers
Want to Transfer Schools?
Learn about different ways to transfer below. Select the reason that best applies to your situation to learn what to do. If your family’s situation does not match any of these reasons, or if you aren’t sure which reason best applies, contact a Family Welcome Center. Our enrollment counselors will work with you to understand your situation and discuss next steps, including any transfer options.
IMPORTANT NOTE - When you email us:
Current School is Unsafe for my Child
We are committed to ensuring that all students can attend school safely.
- Reach out to a school staff member if you have safety concerns regarding your child’s school and they will work with you to address the concerns.
- If you believe that your child is not safe at their school and want to request a transfer to another school, let your school know. The school will work with you to submit any documentation that you provide, such as a written statement or police report, to the Family Welcome Center responsible for handling your transfer request. The Family Welcome Center will follow up with you to discuss your request.
- You can also request a transfer by contacting a Family Welcome Center and providing documentation, such as a written statement or a police report.
For concerns about students in a District 75 program, contact [email protected].
Alleged Discrimination, Harassment or Sexual Harassment, Intimidation and/or Bullying
If you believe that your child is not safe in school and should be transferred because of discrimination, harassment or sexual harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying involving your child, contact your school or a Family Welcome Center to request a transfer.
They will work with you to provide transfer options.
Such transfer requests must be approved and transfers must be expedited.
Corporal Punishment or Verbal Abuse
If it is alleged that your child has been the victim of a corporal punishment or verbal abuse complaint and it is decided that it would be unsafe for them to stay at their current school, we will approve transfer requests based on the criteria in Chancellor’s Regulation A-101.
- Learn more by reading Chancellor’s Regulations A-101 and A-449, below.
Accessibility Need
If you have or your child has a medical condition or disability that prevents physical access to the school, you can request a medical transfer. Contact a Family Welcome Center and provide documentation from your medical provider on their letterhead. The document should explain the health condition and why they recommend a transfer. With your permission, our staff may contact the medical provider to get more information.
Academic or Social Concerns
Are you concerned that your child is not progressing or achieving academically or socially? If you think a different school could help, you can request a guidance transfer when Family Welcome Center buildings are open.
- Our staff may contact your child’s principal for more information and supporting documentation before making a transfer decision.
- Your child’s school cannot request this transfer for you; you will need to contact a Family Welcome Center to make the request.
Moved Within NYC
If you have moved within NYC and want your child to go to a school closer to your new home, you can enroll in a different school.
Elementary and Middle School
Type your home address into Find a School to learn if you have a zoned school.
- If you have a zoned school and your child is in elementary or middle school, you can register directly at that school when school buildings are open.
- If you don’t have a zoned school or if you’d like to explore other options, contact a Family Welcome Center.
Use the Pre-Registration Checklist to learn what you need to bring to the school or Family Welcome Center to register.
High School
If your child is in high school, contact a Family Welcome Center to register.
- Before you speak to Family Welcome Center staff, use MySchools to make a list of high schools and programs that interest you.
- Use the Pre-Registration Checklist to learn what documentation you'll need to register.
Sibling at Different School
Elementary School Only
If you want your child to go to the same school as their sibling, you can request a sibling transfer. Siblings include half-siblings, step-siblings, and foster siblings who live in the same home as your child. Contact a Family Welcome Center to make the request.
Childcare Hardship
Elementary School Only
If your child’s school location creates a hardship due to your employment and/or childcare situation, you can request a childcare transfer.
Contact a Family Welcome Center and bring documentation from your employer and/or childcare provider that confirms the hardship.
Travel Hardship
High School Only
If your commute to high school is more than 75 minutes and/or requires more than three transfers on public transportation, you can request a travel hardship transfer. Contact a Family Welcome Center and provide documentation that shows your home address.
Documents
Read the Pre-Registration checklist and Chancellor's Regulations to help with transfers for your child.
How to transfer a child to another school: clear and detailed instructions
When to transfer a child to another school
By law, parents have the right to transfer their child to another school at any time. But, according to Elena Zaporozhets, it is best to wait until the end of the trimester, quarter or academic year.
“So it will be easier for the child to adapt to the new team,” the head teacher explained.
How to apply for a transfer to another school
The transfer procedure is the same for all regions. The application can be submitted in person or through the State Services portal. The transfer procedure is regulated by the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated 03/12/2014 No. 177 .
If the parent chooses the first option, then you should act according to the scheme:
- Choose a new educational organization and inquire about availability. If there are no free places, parents have the right to contact the local Depobr and ask him for information about vacancies in municipal schools.
- As soon as the parents are convinced that the child is ready to be accepted into the new team, the old school must write a statement about the expulsion of the student in connection with the transfer. The application must indicate the last name, first name, patronymic of the child, date of birth, class, number of the host school.
If the family moves to another region, it is enough to indicate its name.
- After receiving an application from the parents (legal representatives of the student), the school within three days will issue an administrative act on the expulsion of the student on the procedure for transferring to another educational organization.
At the old school, you need to pick up the child's personal file, an extract from the class journal with current grades (certificate of progress) and the results of an intermediate assessment. The new school is not entitled to require other documents.
A parent applying to transfer to a new school will also be asked for an identity document and all papers from the old school.
Elena Zaporozhets noted that “the transfer procedure in elementary and secondary schools is no different. Students who have completed the ninth grade, when transferring to a new educational organization, must also provide a certificate of basic general education.
How to transfer a child to another school through the State Services portal
You can enroll a child in a school not only in person, but also via the Internet. Previously, the family can get acquainted with the educational institution on its official website.
“Please note that each school has a website where the “vacancies” tab indicates whether there are vacant places in the parallel that parents need,” Zaporozhets said. In the event that there was not enough information about the educational organization from the Internet, you can always call the administration, as well as make an appointment with the director or other specialist from the school management during office hours, and ask questions of interest.
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To transfer a child from one school to another without unnecessary bureaucratic delays, an application must be submitted electronically.
On the State Services portal, you need to select the "Education" tab, then open the "Enrollment in an educational institution" section. There will be two options: "enrollment in the first class" and "enrollment in all classes." You should choose the second one. The site will redirect to a page that will offer to receive the service on mos.ru (if the family lives in the capital).
After that, the system will redirect to the portal of the State Services of Moscow.
In the "Education" tab, click the "Get a service to transfer a child to an educational organization" button. The application template will open. If you frequently use the portal and your documents are attached to the system, then some of the data will be filled in. If not, you will have to enter the data manually. In the application, parents indicate the school to which they would like to transfer the child.
The head teacher noted that there is no opportunity to choose a specific teacher.
“After you have sent the application, you will be invited to the school for an acquaintance within three working days to the e-mail indicated in the contacts.
At the reception, you must provide the original documents specified in the application: birth certificate, registration of the child and passport of the parent (legal representative),” Zaporozhets explained.
At the meeting, the family can ask additional questions to the administration, and if everything suits, the process of formalizing the transfer of the child from one school to another begins. A corresponding note appears in the student's electronic personal file. The old school sees that the child is invited to a new educational institution and it is ready to accept him.
“In your educational organization, you are writing an application for expulsion in connection with a transfer to a certain school,” the head teacher added.
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“This possibility exists if there are vacancies in the educational organization,” Zaporozhets said, recalling that this information should be clarified with the host in advance.
Theoretically, parents can first expel a child from the old school and only then look for a replacement. “But the best thing is that the child does not have downtime, take care of it in advance. Although the curricula do not have fundamental differences and the new school will help the student to navigate if he does not know something, it is still better not to disrupt the educational process for the child, ”summed up the head teacher.
Is it possible to transfer to another school without parental consent?
If parents want to actively include their child in the process of choosing a school, then they can go together for an interview with the director and ask questions.
“As a rule, in schools, children enter vacant places, they are officially enrolled, and then they are introduced to the class teacher, who introduces the children to the team,” the head teacher said, noting that schools, at their discretion, can provide an opportunity to communicate with a potential class teacher head even before enrollment.
Zaporozhets recommended that parents at the first meeting with the teacher share important observations about the child, the features of his development (for example, it would be important to say what the student is ashamed of, what he is proud of, etc.) and progress in mastering the educational program.
The head teacher noted that parents play an important role in the child's adaptation to a new school. It is they who know their children best and can choose the best time to change educational institutions, as well as reduce the level of anxiety of their student before getting to know a new team.
How to properly transfer the child to another school: Procedure and documents for transfer to another school
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Parents
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Reasons for transferring to another school
Motives for changing an educational organization or even a form of education are varied.
But most often parents think about it because of:
- low level of teaching,
- lack of individual approach,
- insufficient preparation for exams,
- desire to concentrate on specialized subjects,
- moving to another country and other family circumstances,
- conflicts with teachers or classmates.
How to transfer to another school
According to Article 61 of the Law "On Education in the Russian Federation", you can change schools at any time at the request of the parents or the child, regardless of the reasons. To do this, you must drop out of the old and apply to the new school.
In the application for expulsion, in the order of transfer, you must indicate the last name, first name, patronymic and date of birth of the child, class and profile of education (if any), as well as the name of the school where the student plans to transfer. If the reason for the transfer is a move, then the name of the locality is sufficient.
Within three days, the school must issue an act of dismissal of the student. Parents will be provided with a personal file, a medical card and documents on the current academic performance of the student. It is important to ensure that the documents are stamped by the school and signed by an authorized person. Also, at a new place, a certificate of training in a specific educational organization may come in handy. It can be requested upon checkout.
You can apply for enrollment in a new school online at mos.ru or at the Gosuslug website. To transfer to another school, you will need a package of documents:
- personal file of the child;
- medical record;
- documents confirming academic performance;
- transfer application
The new educational organization must review the application and make a decision on admission within three days.
If the parents change their mind and decide to return the child to the previous school, then it is possible to reinstate within five years, subject to availability, but not before the end of the school year or semester in which the child dropped out.
Transfer to online school
Public school places are limited. And private educational institutions are not always located within walking distance. Thanks to online schools, you can get high-quality knowledge from anywhere in the world.
In order to transfer to an online school, you need to change the full-time form of education to family or part-time and attach to an educational organization for passing certification.
The transition to family education is carried out in four stages:
- notification of educational authorities;
- expulsion from the school contingent;
- signing an agreement with an online school;
- attachment to an educational organization for certification as an external student.
Transition to distance learning is carried out by agreement with the school administration. Parents write an application addressed to the director, and if local acts of the organization do not prohibit correspondence, an order is issued to change the form of education.
After that, you can sign an agreement with an online school and study at home.
The training itself takes place on the platform of the online school. For example, in an online school, learning consists of webinars with a teacher, interactive homework, tests to control knowledge, and extracurricular activities.
Transfer to evening school
As a rule, those who want to continue schooling at an older age, have the opportunity to combine learning with work, and later enter a university are transferred to evening school.
Obtaining education in an evening school is not an independent form of education, but only one of the formats for organizing the educational process. Legally, such students are in full-time, part-time or part-time education.
You can transfer to night school if you already have a certificate of basic general education or if you are over 15 years old. The algorithm for transferring to an evening school is the same as to a regular school.
