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Haverford board reviews updates to homebound education, enrollment and nonresident-eligibility policies
Summary
Board members and staff reviewed revisions to Policy 137 (homebound/home education), Policy 200 (enrollment) and Policy 202 (nonresident students), directed administrative edits to ARs and scheduled first reads at the next regular meeting.
The Haverford Township School District Board reviewed proposed revisions to three district policies on Oct. 9, focusing on definitions for home education participation, updates to enrollment documentation and clarifications on when nonresident students may be enrolled.
District administrators said the changes aim to align policy language with state school code and recent Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance while making administrative regulations (ARs) easier for families and staff to use. Dr. Hayes introduced the policy review and said the updates relate to enrollment, homebound education and district residency.
Justin Barbetta, who presented revisions to Policy 137 (home education/homebound education), said the "primary additions or revisions to policy 137 in home education programs" were a definition update for co‑curricular and extracurricular activities drawn from model PSBA language and minor cleanup to replace references to "child" with "student." He told the board that a recent revision to school code section 1327.1 prompted the definitional changes.
Board members and staff discussed organization and clarity in the Policy 137 administrative regulation. One board member relayed comments from Miss Snodgrass that the AR felt "verbose" and repetitive and recommended separating or reorganizing subsections so the AR is easier to use as an implementation guide. District curriculum staff (Lisonbee) said families can contact the curriculum office and the district website for guidance and that consolidating three prior ARs into a single AR was intended to be more practical for administrators and families.
On Policy 200 (student enrollment), District staff reported a Pennsylvania Department of Education circular released in November 2024 influenced edits. The AR now includes a "non‑exhaustive list" phrase for acceptable proofs of residence, per PDE guidance, and staff noted reimbursement for federal programs is handled quarterly. Administrators recommended rephrasing sections that read like board policy to instead direct district or administrative actions (for example, replacing statements about "the board is committed" with administrative directives such as "the district shall").
The discussion of Policy 202 (nonresident students) focused on clarifying circumstances in which the district may enroll students who do not reside in the district (examples cited: students experiencing homelessness, certain familial or legal situations, or international exchange students). Board members asked that the AR explicitly note routine residency verification practices—currently performed for students entering sixth and ninth grade—and proposed replacing language such as "dropped from the district's rolls" with the less charged term "removed." Staff confirmed those verification practices are current and recommended noting them in the AR.
No policies were adopted at the meeting. Board members instructed staff to refine the ARs for clarity, ensure citations to current code and PDE guidance are up to date, and return Policy 137 for a first reading at the district's next regular meeting on Oct. 23. Administrators said additional AR edits would be developed administratively and brought back for board review in the policy calendar.
Ending: The board emphasized the practice of routine policy review and asked staff to return revised language at the Oct. 23 meeting so the policies remain aligned with state law and district practices.
