Students and families in WCSD now only have to complete a simple form declaring their intent to make a switch to a different school. Those interested in making a move in time for next school year must return the form to the new school by June 15.
Requests will be approved if the new school is less than 90 percent full, all teaching positions are fully staffed, and the move poses no safety concerns. When there are more students seeking variances than there are available seats, the school will run a lottery.
In the past, students and families filled out an application with the student’s grades, attendance, and behavior record. Then, the principal at the new school would approve or deny the application.
“The application process ran the risk of students being denied a variance based on perceptions about who they were,” Superintendent Susan Enfield said.
Some aspects of the variance process won’t change. The district will not provide transportation to students on variances. And high school transfers will only be able to play sub-varsity sports in their freshman and sophomore years. Those who transfer when they’re juniors and seniors will have to wait 180 days before they can play.
Enfield said, due to those conditions, she does not expect the overall number of students on variances to rise substantially. For this current school year, more than 6,600 students used variances.
The change comes after two bills in the Nevada Legislature would have permitted all students to go to a public school outside of their zone, including one proposed by Gov. Joe Lombardo. Neither of those two bills passed with that provision still intact.
Jose Davila IV is a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.
