Board reviews Trust Policy Chapter 5; debates open enrollment, attendance, special education and discipline rules

The Liberty Elementary District Governing Board held an extended review of Trust Policy Chapter 5 during its June 7 special meeting, discussing a package of proposed rules covering student enrollment, attendance, special education procedures and discipline. No final vote was taken on Chapter 5 during this meeting; staff and the board agreed to return the chapter for additional edits and a later read.

Amy Castellanos, who presented the draft chapter and the trust’s redlines, told the board the trust’s legal team had reviewed much of the language and that staff had spent several weeks reconciling statute and local practice. Castellanos said roughly 30 staff hours had been devoted to the revisions prior to the meeting.

Open enrollment and capacity: The draft makes a distinction between students the district must enroll under statute (for example, students in foster care or covered by McKinney-Vento) and general open-enrollment applicants for whom space is reserved only “as capacity allows.” The board discussed whether the policy should set an explicit priority ranking for open-enrollment applicants and whether the district should reserve seats for certain classes of students. Board members expressed concern about school capacity and noted staff shortages: President Michael Todd asked for a clear priority…