3110 - Qualification of Attendance and Placement

Age of Admission 

It is a right and responsibility of those who meet the requirements prescribed by law to attend the schools of the Richland School District. Every resident of the district who satisfies the minimum entry age requirement and is less than 21 years of age has the right to attend the district’s schools until they complete high school graduation requirements. Children age 8 and less than age 18 are required by law to attend a public school, an approved private school or educational center, unless they are receiving approved home-based instruction. Under certain circumstances children who are at least 16 and less than 18 years of age may be excused from further attendance at school. The superintendent or designee will exercise their authority to grant exceptions when they determine the student: 

1. Is lawfully and regularly employed; 
2. Has permission of a parent/guardian; 
3. Is emancipated pursuant to Chapter 13.64 RCW; or 
4. Is subject to one of the other exceptions to compulsory attendance. 

A resident student who has been granted an exception retains the right to enroll as a part-time student and will be entitled to take any course, receive any ancillary services and take or receive any combination of courses and ancillary services which are offered by a public school to full-time students. 

Entrance Qualifications 

Initial admission to kindergarten shall be based on chronological age. Children must be not less than 5 years of age prior to September 1 of that school year. Children who are age six before September 1 and have completed a public or approved private kindergarten program are eligible for admission to the first grade. If necessary, the student may be placed in a temporary classroom assignment for the purposes of evaluation prior to making a final determination of the student’s appropriate placement. Such determination will be made no later than the 30th calendar day following the students’ first day of attendance. 

Exemptions 

Special exemptions may be made for younger pupils who appear to be sufficiently advanced to succeed in the educational program. The Superintendent or designee will identify screening processes and instruments that will provide reliable estimates of these skills and abilities, develop procedures for implementing this policy and establish fees to cover expenses incurred in the administration of preadmission screening processes. The district will provide a fee waiver or a reduction in fees for low-income students whose parents/guardians are unable to pay the full cost of preadmission screening. 

Placement of Students on Admission 

The Richland School District reserves the right to and may assign students to attend schools or programs other than at their usual attendance area (“home”) school for certain specific reasons. Generally, students meeting the age of admission requirements or transferring from a public or approved private school will be placed in kindergarten or first grade, or the grade from which they transferred. The principal or designee will evaluate the educational record and assessments of all other students to determine their appropriate placement. A temporary classroom assignment may be made for no more than thirty calendar days for the purpose of evaluation prior to making the final placement decision. 

Entrance Qualifications for Kindergarten Program 

As a minimum, eligibility for the exemption from the age requirement will be based upon an analysis of the child’s (1) physical, health and motor development; (2) social and emotional development; (3) approaches toward learning; (4) language, literacy and communication; and (5) cognition and general knowledge. Where feasible, assessment devices will be used that will permit students who are to be considered for exemption to be compared to the level of performance that would be expected of children with a chronological age of 5 years for kindergarten and 6 years for first grade in each of the areas of ability. 

Admission of Students Aged Twenty-One or Older 

The student or parent/guardian will petition the superintendent or designee for admission. 

The petition will identify the student’s name, age, address and grade level or program of study. 

If approved, the petition will specify the tuition fee to be paid, will be signed by the student or parent/guardian and the superintendent or designee and will constitute the written agreement required by law. It will be retained as a public document and made available to the state Superintendent of Public Instruction upon request. 

The tuition fee will be calculated in the same way the state Superintendent of Public Instruction determines the cost of educating a student in the district, except that a disabled student who turns twenty-one during the school year will only pay that amount of money deemed as “excess cost”.