Mount Vernon Community School District is a great place to learn, grow, and achieve! Parents and guardians considering the use of open enrollment to enroll their child(ren) in the Mount Vernon Community School District from another public school district should be aware of the following information from the Iowa Department of Education website:
Effective immediately: Sec. 23. Section 282.18, subsection 2, paragraphs a and b,Code 2024, are amended to read as follows:
a. A By March 1 of the preceding school year for students entering grades one through twelve, or by September 1 of the current school year for students entering kindergarten or for prekindergarten students enrolled in special education programs and included in the school district’s basic enrollment under section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph ~a~, subparagraph (1), ~ parent or guardian shall send notification to the district of residence and the receiving district, on forms prescribed by the department of education, that the parent or guardian intends to enroll the parent’s or guardian’s child in a public
Senate File 2435, p. 28 school in another school district.
What does this mean?
Anyone wishing to open enroll a 1st – 12th grade student into the Mount Vernon Community School District for the 2024 – 2025 school year must do so by July 1, 2024. Kindergarten students must be open enrolled by September 1, 2024. Open enrollments after these dates can no longer be accepted for this school year without good cause.
Applications for the following school year (2025-2026) must be received by March 1, 2025.
The receiving district may deny an open enrollment request if one of the following applies:
- The application violates the district’s insufficient classroom space policy,
- The district does not have the appropriate special education program,
- The application would adversely affect the district’s implementation of a court-ordered desegregation plan, or
- The student has been expelled or suspended.
If a parent/guardian moves and wishes for their student to continue at the original resident district under open enrollment (often known as the “continuation rule”), requests cannot be denied due to insufficient classroom space policies.
Click here to view the Mount Vernon School District boundary map.
Transportation Assistance
Parents are responsible for transporting children who are open enrolled. This applies to all students, including those with an IEP. As a general rule, if the need for transportation as a related service is stated in the IEP, the parent is responsible for this obligation under open enrollment.
The Mount Vernon School District does provide 4 pick-up/drop-off locations for students who are open enrolled into the district. Parents may meet a bus at one of the pick-up/drop-off locations for their student(s) to ride a Mount Vernon bus to school.
If a child open enrolls to a district that is contiguous (borders) to the home district, and the parents’ income meets economic eligibility requirements, the family may receive a stipend for transportation or be provided transportation by the district. Income verification must be provided to the resident district.
OPEN ENROLLMENT TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE INFORMATION
TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE GUIDELINES
Athletic Eligibility
Students who open enroll in grades 9 through 12 shall not be eligible to participate in varsity contests and competitions during the first 90 school days of the transfer. 281-IAC 17.8(2)
In the circumstance of a student transferring from a school in another state/country or from one IHSAA-member school to another, the transfer rules and regulations may apply or initially limit sport participation. For complete eligibility information, see the IHSAA Handbook.