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  1. Departments
  2. Student Services
  3. Foster and Homeless Youth
  4. Graduation Exception for Special Populations

Graduation Exception for Special Populations

Helping Students Graduate and Obtain Higher Education

  1. Enrollment Procedures for Foster Youth
    • Diagram Foster Youth: 
      1. STRTP → Sandra Stevens → Student w/IEP → Melissa Bowler → Makes recommendation on enrollment
      2. STRTP → Sandra Stevens → Student w/o IEP → Katina Austin → Makes recommendation on enrollment
      3. Resource Family → School Site → Student with or without IEP → School Site Enrolls → Information forwarded to Katina Austin 
  2. Enrollment Procedures Bright Paths Youth (Homeless)
    • Diagram for Homeless/Displaced Students:
      1. McKinney-Vento/Homeless → Immediate Enrollment (McKinney-Vento Act Guidelines) → Notify Homeless Liaison and Counselor  → Service Rendering (Community and School Based Services) 
      2. Unaccompanied Youth  → Immediate Enrollment (McKinney-Vento Act Guidelines) → Notify Homeless Liaison and Counselor  → Service Rendering (Community and School Based Services)
      3. Special Education → Identify (McKinney-Vento and Special Education) → Registrar notifies Homeless Liaison, School Psychologies, and Counselor → IEP/504 team schedules a meeting within 30 days
      4. Immediate enrollment → Without immunization records → Notify School Nurse and Homeless Liaison→ the family has a 30-day grace period to obtain records → School staff & homeless liaison provides community resources to obtain record (Clinics and/or Health Department.)

Transfers of Coursework, Credits, and Schools

  • Partial Credits and Coursework → Accept completed coursework from McKinney-Vento students →Issue full or partial credits for the same or equivalent coursework (even if not completed) → Accept partial credits and/or request partial credits for McKinney-Vento students when enrolling → Student shall not be required to retake the course if satisfactorily completed the entire course → For support with this process collaborate with School Counselor and Homeless Liaison

  • School Selection → When a student in foster care or a student who is experiencing homelessness is disenrolling, or enrolling  Registrars must provide notice to the Homeless Youth Liaison and Foster Youth Liaison to start the “School of Origin” process if applicable → Case-by-case basis and student best interest are implemented when starting the “School of Origin” process → An assessment is conducted, and a meeting is scheduled to determine student best interest.

Graduation Exemption for Special Populations

  • Pupil in Foster Care (167/216)   
  • Military Family  (365)
  • McKinney-Vento Pupil  (1806)
  • Migrantary Child (2121) 
  • Newly Arrived Newcomer Student (714)   
  • Former Juvenile Court  (2306)


A graduation exemption removes the requirement from all coursework and other graduation requirements of a school district that are in addition to the state coursework requirements, unless the school district makes a finding that the student is reasonably able to complete the school’s graduation requirements in time to graduate from high school by the end of their fourth year of high school.
To qualify, students need to 1) fall under both of the following categories, 2) moved to a different school after 10th grade year, and 3) not be reasonably able to complete the district graduation requirements.