[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-533947-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-533947-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","enrolling-older-newcomer-students-faq-july-29-2024","Enrolling Older Newcomer Students FAQ - July 29, 2024","","Illinois State Board of Education guidance clarifies newcomer students’ enrollment rights in Illinois public schools, including questions about grade-level placement, eligibility based on age, disability services, and the role of immigration status. It explains maximum attendance ages, special education provisions, and districts’ authority for classes for persons aged 21 and over. The FAQ also addresses how prior schooling and graduation evidence from a student’s home country affect (or do not affect) enrollment eligibility, and when denial of enrollment may be prohibited for dropout-related situations.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/enrolling-older-newcomer-students-faq-july-29-2024/533947/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/enrolling-older-newcomer-students-faq-july-29-2024/533947.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Olivia Brown","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-10","2026-10-10",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",5,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Can a newcomer student older than Illinois’ compulsory attendance age enroll in an Illinois public school?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Yes. ISBE guidance states the parent or child’s immigration status does not affect a student’s right to enroll. Laws guarantee free public education through grade twelve until the age of 21, regardless of immigrant status.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"If a newcomer student is under 21 and has evidence of graduating or receiving a diploma in their home country, can the district deny enrollment?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Generally, no. Prior coursework and graduation evidence have no bearing on the right to enroll up to age 21, and Illinois graduation requirements for high school enrollment typically cannot be presumed to have been met.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Can a school district deny enrollment if a newcomer student will not meet graduation requirements by age 21?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"No, in the cited rule and context. The guidance explains that denial/disenrollment provisions apply only to specific dropout-related situations, and students who do not qualify as dropouts cannot be denied or disenrolled under that provision.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},533947,1791732548,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,95,99,104,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},70,"exam",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":100,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":55,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},16904993612988,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Enrolling Older Newcomer Students FAQ  \nJuly 29, 2024  \nThe Illinois State Board of Education seeks to clarify the right of newcomer students to enroll in Illinois public schools and to answer questions about grade level placement and the provision of diplomas.  \n1. Does a newcomer student whose age exceeds the compulsory age of attendance (a student who is 17, 18, 19, or 20 years old) have the right to enroll in an Illinois public school?  \nYes. As stated in ISBE’s registration and enrollment guidance,“The immigration status of the parent or child has no bearing on the rights of the student to enroll. The laws of Illinois and the United States guarantee all students, including undocumented immigrant students, access to a free public education through grade twelve until the age of 21, regardless of immigrant status.”(Emphasis added. )  \nThe maximum age of attendance for special education students is the day before their 22nd birthday. Additionally, per Public Act 102-0172 and 105 ILCS5/14-1.02, a student with a disability eligible for special education who requires continued public school educational experience to facilitate his or her successful transition and integration into adult life is eligible for such services through age 21 inclusive. That means the day before the student's 22nd birthday, unless his or her 22nd birthday occurs during the school year, in which case he or she is eligible for such services through the end of the school year.  \nThe School Code also explicitly permits school boards to establish classes for the instruction of persons 21 years of age or older and to pay the necessary expenses of such classes out of a district’s school funds. This can include courses of instruction regularly accepted for graduation from high school and high school equivalency testing review classes. See 105 ILCS 5/10- 22. 20(a) . Pursuant to this Section, a district may permit a student who turns 21 during the school year to continue their education through the end of the school year and beyond, but may not claim Evidence-Based Funding for them after they have turned [21.](21. Id. at)[ Id](21. Id. at)[. at](21. Id. at) 10-22. 20(j) . The benefits of allowing a student in this situation to remain enrolled for the remainder of the school year should be considered, as should the safety implications of allowing an adult student over the age of 20 to be in the same building as much younger children. The district should consult with its own legal counsel on the various considerations of allowing a student to remain enrolled after they turn 21.  \n2. Does a newcomer student under the age of 21 have the right to enroll if they have evidence of having graduated or received a high school diploma in their country of origin?  \nGenerally, yes. The student’s previous coursework has no bearing on their right to enroll up to age 21.  \nEven if the student’s records indicate they have received significant secondary schooling, Illinois’state graduation requirements include specific requirements that a newcomer student seeking to enroll in high school is highly unlikely to have met, such as one year of a writing-intensive English course, passing a satisfactory examination of American patriotism and the principles of representative government, and filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid with the U.S. Department of Education – so the argument cannot be made that they have met all local graduation requirements and should be considered already graduated.  \nSchools are encouraged to use any evidence of a student’s prior coursework (in addition to interviews, content and language exams, and other factors) to aid in making appropriate grade and course placements, but they cannot use this documentation to deny a student enrollment. Enrollment of newcomer students is not only their legal right but also affords them the  \nopportunity to earn a high school diploma and thus to pursue postsecondary work and  \neducation options in the United States t","cbCail4ATBB1Xb0M","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCail4ATBB1Xb0M","pdf",255408,"English","# Enrollment rights for older newcomer students\n## Right to enroll beyond compulsory attendance age\n## Right to enroll under age 21 with graduation evidence\n# Enrollment limitations and denial\n## When a district may deny enrollment","[{\"question\":\"Can a newcomer student older than Illinois’ compulsory attendance age enroll in an Illinois public school?\",\"answer\":\"Yes. ISBE guidance states the parent or child’s immigration status does not affect a student’s right to enroll. Laws guarantee free public education through grade twelve until the age of 21, regardless of immigrant status.\"},{\"question\":\"If a newcomer student is under 21 and has evidence of graduating or receiving a diploma in their home country, can the district deny enrollment?\",\"answer\":\"Generally, no. Prior coursework and graduation evidence have no bearing on the right to enroll up to age 21, and Illinois graduation requirements for high school enrollment typically cannot be presumed to have been met.\"},{\"question\":\"Can a school district deny enrollment if a newcomer student will not meet graduation requirements by age 21?\",\"answer\":\"No, in the cited rule and context. The guidance explains that denial/disenrollment provisions apply only to specific dropout-related situations, and students who do not qualify as dropouts cannot be denied or disenrolled under that provision.\"}]","Enrolling Older Newcomer Students FAQ - July 29, 2024 | PDF",1791597386,13]