Dear Colleague Letter: School Enrollment Procedures

Under Federal law, State and local educational agencies (hereinafter "districts") are required to provide all children with equal access to public education at the elementary and secondary level. Thie Dear Colleague letter was written to remind school districts of the Federal obligation to provide equal educational opportunities to all children residing within each district and to offer Federal assistance to ensure that the districts comply with the law. To comply with these Federal civil rights laws, as well as the mandates of the Supreme Court, districts must not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin, and that students are not barred from enrolling in public schools at the elementary and secondary level on the basis of their own citizenship or immigration status or that of their parents or guardians. Moreover, districts may not request information with the purpose or result of denying access to public schools on the basis of race, color, or national origin. This letter updates and replaces the May 6, 2011 letter and provides examples of permissible enrollment practices, as well as examples of the types of information that may not be used as a basis for denying a student entrance to school.