A.

Move to a new residence

The student moves to a new home address due to a move by the student and a person or person(s) with whom he/she has been previously living that makes it necessary for the student to attend a different school and student meets all other eligibility requirements.  A student cannot reside at more than one address, and only the student’s current residence may be used for eligibility purposes.  Evidence of a move are as follows but not limited to: 

1.

all personal belongings are moved from the former residence;

2.

mail is received at the new residence;

3.

all utilities are transferred to the new residence;

4.

driver’s license, voter registration and other forms of legal identification are changed to the new residence.

Forms of address verification – examples include, but are not limited to:

a.

homestead exemption information;

b.

utility bill, including service address;

c.

proof of purchase of home;

d.

current lease agreement.

B.

This section applies to a student who transfers when he/she has to move into the residence of another person, making it necessary for the student to attend a different school because one of the persons with whom the student has been living is imprisoned or committed by court order to a mental facility. 

C.

Move to new residence following marriage;

This section applies to a student who marries and immediately establishes a new residence with his/her spouse at a residence that makes it necessary for the student to attend a different school and meets all other participation requirements.

D.

Assignment or reassignment by the School District.

This section applies to a student who is reassigned to a different school by the School District, as long as the reassignment is not for athletic or disciplinary reasons, and is not requested by the student or his/her parents, and meets all other eligibility requirements. In this case, the student may participate in interscholastic athletic competition at the school where she/he is assigned to attend. Enrolling in and/or returning to a home-zoned school after enrollment in a school other than the home-zoned school, either public or private, will not qualify as an exception to this policy. Consideration will be given to:

1.

a student-athlete with an Individual Education Plan (IEP);

An IEP team determines that another school will better serve a student-athlete’s educational needs.

2.

a student-athlete who has medical and/or psychological needs that warrant a transfer of schools;

This determination will be made by the Division of Administration with input from health care providers.

3.

a student-athlete who transfers after an offer and acceptance through Hillsborough Choice Options as long the application is submitted during one of the application windows;

The student must register, enroll, and attend at least four courses with two of the courses being core subjects (mathematics, language arts, science, social studies).

4.

a student-athlete who is considered in transition (or homeless) and requires a transfer of schools;

This determination will be made by the District Homeless Liaison.

5.

a student-athlete who transfers to home education from a District school or to a District school from home education and the school where they are wishing to participate does not change. The student-athlete must meet all requirements for participation set forth by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) for Home Education students.

6.

a student-athlete who enrolls through an approved foreign exchange program.  All foreign exchange student-athletes must receive FHSAA approval prior to participation.

E.

Hardship

This section applies to a student who has transferred between:

1.

home-zoned and a magnet/choice school; or

2.

home-zoned and a charter school; or

3.

home-zoned and a private school.

This exception only applies to demonstrated hardship as shown by the student. For purposes of this exception, demonstrated hardship shall include, but not be limited to:

1.

financial hardship;

2.

transportation hardship;

3.

family hardship;

4.

academic hardship including but not limited to a situation where a student is not succeeding in an academic environment such as a magnet program.

A.

The burden shall be on the student to demonstrate through testimony and documentary evidence that one or more of the considerations has been met. Only evidence that is relevant to the criteria listed for the requested consideration shall be included as evidence.

B.

Student-athletes of employees of the District must meet the same guidelines set forth for all other student-athletes.

C.

Fraudulent, false, or erroneous information provided to the school and/or School District by the parent/guardian and/or student will result in the student-athlete being prohibited from participating in athletics for one calendar year from the date in which the information is discovered. Such information will also require that the student be enrolled in the school that serves the area where the student-athlete resides. If a change of school is necessary, it will occur at the time determined to be most educationally sound for the student-athlete.

D.

When a change of residence of a student-athlete occurs, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian and student-athlete to notify the school within ten school days. Failure to do so will prohibit a student-athlete from participating for one calendar year from the date in which the information is discovered. Such information will also require that the student be enrolled in the school that serves the area where the student-athlete resides. If a change of school is necessary, it will occur at the time determined to be most educationally sound for the student-athlete.