32 CFR 89.8 – Compact provisions
(a) DoDEA Area School Districts Relationship With SEAs or LEAs in Member States.
(1) For the purposes of DoD’s implementation of the Compact in the schools it operates, DoDEA’s area offices (DoDDS—Europe, DoDDS—Pacific, and DDESS) and their schools are considered as the equivalent of LEAs and SEAs, respectively.
(2) Each DoDEA area acts as the “receiving LEA” and “sending LEA” in working with LEAs or SEAs in member States.
(b) Articles IV Through VII of the Compact. This section describes the specific duties that DoDEA’s LEAs have as “sending” or “receiving” LEAs. DoDEA’s duties under this section will reciprocate the duties assumed by member State LEAs or SEAs to children of military families, as expressed by their respective State’s implementation of the Compact Articles IV through VII. DoDEA will implement the provisions described below, which, while retaining the intent of the Compact, have been modified as needed in the DoDEA context.
(1) Article IV: Education Records and Enrollment—(i) Unofficial or “Hand-Carried” Education Records. (A) If official education records cannot be released to the parents for transfer, the DoDEA custodian of the records, as the sending LEA shall provide to the parent a complete set of unofficial education records.
(B) Upon receipt of the unofficial education records, the DoDEA school, as the school in the receiving LEA shall enroll and appropriately place the child as quickly as possible based on the information in the unofficial records, pending validation by the official records.
(ii) Official education records or transcripts. (A) The DoDEA school, acting as the receiving LEA shall request the child’s official education record from the school in the sending State at the same time as DoDEA school enrolls and conditionally places the child.
(B) Upon receipt of the request for a child’s records, the school in DoDEA, acting as the sending LEA will provide the child’s official education records to the school in the receiving State, within 10 work days. If there is a designated school staff break, records will be provided as soon as possible; however, the time will not exceed 10 work days after the return of staff. DoDEA will initiate actions to meet these deadlines without violating the disclosure rules of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a.
(iii) Immunizations. (A) Parents have 30 days from the date of enrolling their child in a DoDEA school to have their child(ren) immunized in accordance with DoDEA’s immunization requirements, as the receiving LEA.
(B) For a series of immunizations, parents must begin initial vaccinations of their child(ren) within 30 days.
(iv) Entrance age. (A) At the time of transition and regardless of the age of the child, the DoDEA school, acting as the receiving LEA, shall enroll the transitioning child at the grade level as the child’s grade level (i.e., in kindergarten through grade 12) in the sending state’s LEA.
(B) A child who has satisfactorily completed the prerequisite grade level in the sending state’s LEA will be eligible for enrollment in the next higher grade level in DoDEA school, acting as the receiving LEA, regardless of the child’s age.
(C) To be admitted to a school in the receiving State, the parent or guardian of a child transferring from a DoDEA (sending) LEA must provide:
(1) Official military orders showing the military member or the member’s spouse was assigned to the sending State or commuting area of the State in which the child was previously enrolled. If the child was residing with a guardian other than the military member during the previous enrollment, proof of guardianship (as specified in the Compact) should be provided by the parent or guardian to the receiving LEA or SEA to establish eligibility under the Compact.
(2) An official letter or transcript from the sending school authority that shows the student’s record of attendance, academic information, and grade placement.
(3) Evidence of immunization against communicable diseases.
(4) Evidence of date of birth.
(2) Article V: Placement and Attendance—(i) Course placement. (A) As long as the course is offered by DoDEA, as the receiving LEA, it shall honor placement of a transfer student in courses based on the child’s placement or educational assessment in the sending State school.
(B) Course placement includes, but is not limited to, Honors, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, vocational, technical, and career pathways courses.
(C) Continuing the child’s academic program from the previous school and promoting placement in academically and career challenging courses shall be a primary consideration when DoDEA considers the placement of a transferring child.
(D) DoDEA, acting as the receiving LEA, may perform subsequent evaluations to ensure the child’s appropriate course placement.
(ii) Educational Program Placement. (A) As long as the program is offered by DoDEA, acting as a receiving LEA, it will honor placement of the child in educational programs based on current educational assessments and placement in like programs in the sending State. Such programs include, but are not limited to, gifted and talented programs and English language learners.
(B) The receiving State school may perform subsequent evaluations to ensure the child’s appropriate educational program placement.
(iii) Special Education Services. (A) DoDEA, acting as the receiving LEA, will initially provide comparable services to a child with disabilities based on his or her current IEP in compliance with 20 U.S.C. chapter 33, also known and referred to in this part as the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),” as amended, and the requirements of Executive Order 13160. DoDEA may perform subsequent evaluations to ensure the child’s appropriate placement consistent with IDEA.
(B) DoDEA, acting as the receiving LEA, will make reasonable accommodations and modifications to address the needs of incoming children with disabilities, in compliance with the requirements of 29 U.S.C. § 794 and Executive Order 13160, and subject to an existing 504 plan to provide the child with equal access to education.
(iv) Placement Flexibility. DoDEA’s administrative officials must have flexibility in waiving course or program prerequisites or other preconditions for placement in courses or programs offered under the jurisdiction of DoDEA.
(v) Absences Related to Deployment Activities. A child whose parent or legal guardian is an active duty Service member and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting, will be granted additional excused absences under governing DoDEA rules.
(3) Article VI: Eligibility for enrollment. (i) Eligibility in DoDEA Schools. Eligibility of dependents of military members is governed by the laws in 10 U.S.C. § 2164 and 20 U.S.C. § 921 through 932 and their implementing regulations. Only children who are eligible to attend DoDEA schools may do so, regardless of their transition status.
(ii) Eligibility for extracurricular participation. DoDEA, acting as the receiving LEA, will facilitate the opportunity for transitioning children’s inclusion in extracurricular activities, regardless of application deadlines, to the extent the children are otherwise qualified.
(4) Article VII: Graduation. To facilitate the child’s on-time graduation, DoDEA will incorporate the following procedures:
(i) Waiver requirements. (A) DoDEA administrative officials will waive specific courses required for graduation if similar course work has been satisfactorily completed in another LEA or provide reasonable justification for denial.
(B) If DoDEA, as a receiving LEA, does not grant a waiver to a child who would qualify to graduate from the sending school, DoDEA will provide an alternative means of acquiring required coursework so that graduation may occur on time.
(C) If DoDEA, as the receiving LEA, requires a graduation project, volunteer community service hours, or other DoDEA specific requirement, DoDEA may waive those requirements.
(ii) Exit exams. (A) DoDEA, as a receiving LEA, must:
(1) Accept exit or end-of-course exams required for graduation from the sending State.
(2) Accept national norm-referenced achievement tests.
(3) Provide alternative testing in lieu of testing requirements for graduation in the receiving from a DoDEA school.
(B) If the alternatives in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section cannot be accommodated by DoDEA as the receiving LEA for a child transferring in his or her senior year, then the provisions of paragraph (b)(1)(iv)(C) of this section will apply.
(iii) Transfers during senior year. (A) If a child transferring at the beginning or during his or her senior year is ineligible to graduate from DoDEA, as the receiving LEA, after all alternatives have been considered, DoDEA will request a diploma from the sending LEA or SEA. DoDEA will ensure the receipt of a diploma from the sending LEA or SEA, if the child meets the graduation requirements of the sending LEA or SEA.
(B) If one of the States in question is not a member of this Compact, DoDEA, as a receiving state, will use best efforts to facilitate a transferring child’s on-time graduation in accordance with paragraphs (b)(1)(iv)(A) and (b)(1)(iv)(B) of this section.