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Board reviews policy 239 on foreign exchange students; administration recommends ending full‑year placements
Summary
District administrators recommended removing the policy that allows full‑year foreign exchange students, citing demographic change and resource pressure; if the district retains a policy, administrators suggested limiting placements to F‑1 visa students, East and West high schools, and two students per school.
Superintendent Dr. O'Donnell and Dr. Reed presented a review of Policy 239, the district’s foreign exchange‑student policy, following a board request. The administration said recent years have seen only a handful of full‑year foreign exchange placements and that most short‑term exchange programs remain reciprocal and brief.
Dr. O'Donnell said the district had one F‑1 visa student last year and otherwise has accepted J‑1 students, who come through organizations and do not pay tuition. "We have had some students, 3 or 4 per year," O'Donnell said, and he added the district had one full‑year F‑1 placement in 2022–23 and several J‑1 placements in prior years.
Administrators recommended eliminating the district policy that permits full‑year placements so that district resources focus on resident students. If the board instead chooses to retain a policy, the administration proposed several limits: require students be at least 16 years old on or before Sept. 1, favor F‑1 visa placements (which pay tuition), place exchange students only at Downingtown East and West high schools, limit placements to two students per school and prefer host families that include a current district student. The administration also said the district must recertify with the Department of Homeland Security every other year at a cost of $1,250 to maintain F‑1 eligibility for placements.
Board members discussed flexibility for younger incoming juniors and whether host‑family requirements should be tied to a particular high school; one board member recommended removing the age requirement and not restricting host families to the same school as the current student. The board chair and administration suggested the next step is referral to the policy committee for formal consideration and possible revision.
No formal board vote on changing Policy 239 was recorded in the transcript; members were asked to send suggestions to policy committee representatives for review.
