Question: How will I know if my student has been assigned to a new school next year?
Answer: All parents/guardians of students assigned to a new school should receive a letter from the district before Feb. 20. If you think your address is in a change area, you think your school assignment has changed and you haven’t received a letter, please contact your school. You can also check the resources online and see if you’re in a change area and what the adjustments are for that area.
Q: What if my student is already attending another school on an approved IDT?
A: The boundary changes do not affect students whose address is in a change area but who are already attending a different school on an approved IDT.
Q: In the new boundaries, my 11th grade student would stay at North Salem High School but my 9th grade student would go to South Salem High School. Can they both go to South?
A: Yes. If you turn in the Boundary Adjustment Sibling Request form by March 8, 2019*, your older student can attend the new school assignment (South Salem) with your younger student. The request will be automatically approved if students meet the grade level criteria. Your older student can ride the bus if they are eligible for transportation and there’s space available.
Sibling Form – English
Sibling Form – Spanish
*Deadline extended to March 8 due to recent snow days
Q: I’m confused by the letter we got about boundary changes. My son goes to a school that is not our neighborhood school on an in-district transfer (IDT). The top of the letter says we’re changing schools and the bottom says no changes for students on IDTs. Please clarify.
A: We’ve heard that this has caused confusion for some families of students attending a school outside the attendance area they live in on an approved in-district transfer (IDT). We can totally see how this could be confusing and hope this helps: If a student is attending school on an approved IDT, there are no changes to where the student will attend school next year, even if the student’s residence address has been moved to a different school attendance area. This would include students attending at charter schools, attending school for Dual Language programs, etc.
Q: My child attends a school that is not our assigned school for Literacy Squared instruction. Our address is changing to a different school. Does she have to change schools?
A: For students entering Kindergarten through grade 3 in the fall, if Literacy Squared Instruction is not available at your child’s newly assigned school you will not change schools. But, if Literacy Squared Instruction is available at your newly assigned school you will need to attend your new school or request an in-district transfer (IDT). There is no guarantee the IDT request will be approved and parents/guardians are responsible for providing transportation to and from school – the district does not provide bus service for students attending school on an approved IDT.
Q: My son attends a school outside of the attendance area we live in for Dual Language program. If the boundaries affect our address, does he have to change schools?
A: No. Students attending a Dual Language program will not change schools, even if their address is assigned to a different school’s boundary.
Q: How do the adjustments affect students being served in the STEP program?
A: Eligibility for STEP services is re-determined each school year. In the event of continued eligibility, students receiving STEP services will still be able to attend their school of origin, even if their address on file will be served by a different school because of boundary adjustments.
Q: We live in the attendance boundary for Claggett Creek but my son has been attending Whiteaker on an IDT. He will be entering grade 7 next year. The boundary adjustments have moved us into the attendance area for Whiteaker. Does his IDT remain in place? Do I have to do anything?
A: Yes, your son’s IDT remains in place and your son will continue to attend Whiteaker. You don’t need to do any further paperwork.
Q: I don’t understand why the boundary changes only affect students entering some grades and not others?
A: This decision was made because the Boundary Review Task Force, the School Board and district staff agree it’s important to smooth the transition to new boundaries for students and families as much as possible. The district intentionally prioritized allowing older students to remain in the schools they have been attending to minimize disruption to the student’s educational experience, and included bus transportation for students who live outside the walk zone. This is why students entering grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12 in the fall were automatically re-enrolled in their current boundary schools, even if the boundary adjustments shift their address to a different school attendance area.
Q: How do I know if my student is eligible for bus transportation?
A: The State of Oregon has established criteria for eligibility for bus service. Generally, elementary students who live one or more miles away from the school, and secondary students who live 1.5 or more miles away from the school are eligible for bus transportation. Bus routes and address eligibility will be available later in the summer.
Q: In the new boundaries, my 11th grade student would stay at North Salem High School but my 9th grade student would go to South Salem High School. Can they both go to North?
A: Maybe. To request to send your 9th grade student to North Salem instead of South Salem, please complete an in-district transfer request (IDT) and turn it in between March 1 and 31, 2019. There’s no guarantee the request will be approved and parents/guardians are responsible for providing transportation to and from school – the district does not provide bus service for students attending school on an approved IDT.
Q: My student is entering first grade and attended Hammond last year for Kindergarten. The boundary adjustments are shifting her to Hayesville. Can she stay at Hammond?
A: To request your student entering Grade 1 in 2019-20 attend the school she’s currently attending
(Hammond), please complete an in-district transfer request (IDT) and turn it in between March 1 and 31, 2019. There’s no guarantee the request will be approved and parents/guardians are responsible for providing transportation to and from school – the district does not provide bus service for students attending school on an approved IDT.
Q: What if I miss the sibling form deadline (March 8*)?
A: You can apply for in-district transfer (IDT) to the same school as your sibling during the March IDT application window. See our FAQ below on applying for IDT.
*Deadline extended to March 8 due to recent snow days
Q: How do I apply for in-district transfer (IDT) to request my student attend a different school?
A: Pick up an IDT form from your school. Complete it and return it to your school between March 1 and 31, 2019. There is no guarantee IDT requests will be approved and parents are responsible for providing transportation for students attending school on an IDT.
Q: My son is entering second grade in the fall and he receives English Learner services at a school that is not our attendance area school. We received a letter that says our address has been changed to a new school but where he will attend for EL services isn’t decided yet. When will we know? Will we get to send in our Sibling form late?
A: We are working hard to finish the capacity analysis that will tell us where there’s room for students entering kindergarten, grades 1, 2 or 3 who will be receiving ESOL instruction. We hope to have this done and a letter out to families before March 5. These families will be given an extended deadline to return the Sibling form.
Q: Two students at our school live in the same household. One is entering grade 3 and the other is entering grade 5. They are not related by blood. Do they use the Sibling form or the IDT process?
A: Students who live in the same residence and have the same parent or legal guardian can use the Sibling Form. All other students can apply for transfer through the IDT process.
Q: My daughter is in an ERC. Our address is assigned to a new school. Will she change schools next year?
A: Students attending school in self-contained special education classrooms, including ERC, DLC, EGC, BIC, SCIP and DevK are not affected by the boundary changes. So your daughter would not change schools because of a boundary adjustment. However, please remember that program locations are reviewed every year and adjusted as needed. If program locations change, parents of students in these classrooms will receive information from Student Services.
Q: What about parents who are new to the district? How do they register?
A: Parents who register a new student on or before 3-31-19 must register at the 2018-19 school. However, parents should be aware their student might change schools next year (if student will be entering grades K, 1, 2, 3, 6, or 9 in the fall). Use this link to look up the school to register ON OR BEFORE 3-31-19: http://busfinder.salkeiz.k12.or.us/elinkrp/Students/BasicTransBoundarySearch.aspx
Parents who move on or after 4-1-19 should register at the 2019-20 school. Use this link to look up the school to register ON OR AFTER 4-1-19: https://busfinder.salkeiz.k12.or.us/elinkrp/
Q: My student is entering grade 4 next year and we are currently zoned for Clear Lake. So she would stay at Clear Lake. The boundary adjustments move our house to the Hammond boundary, and I would prefer she go to Hammond. She does not have a younger sibling that will be assigned to Hammond so we can’t do a Sibling Form. Can I still send her automatically to Hammond instead of Clear Lake?
A: You can request to transfer your student from Clear Lake to Hammond through the IDT process. Please see the question about applying for IDT above.
Q: Where can I find maps of the new school boundaries?
A: Once final, new maps of school attendance area boundaries will be posted on the district website on the School Boundary Maps page: https://salkeiz.k12.or.us/school-boundary-maps/. They will also be available on school websites.
Q: Where can I get an IDT form or another Boundary Adjustment Sibling Request Form?
A: You can pick up additional forms at your student’s current school.