Sec. 32. (a) This section does not apply to a school corporation if the governing body has adopted a policy of not accepting the transfer of any student who does not have legal settlement within the school corporation.

     (b) The governing body of a school corporation shall annually establish:

(1) except as provided in subsection (m), the number of transfer students the school corporation has the capacity to accept in each grade level; and

(2) the date by which requests to transfer into the school corporation must be received by the governing body.

     (c) After establishing the date under subsection (b)(2), the governing body shall:

(1) publish the date on the school corporation’s Internet web site; and

(2) report the date to the department.

     (d) The department shall publish the dates received from school corporations under subsection (c)(2) on the department’s Internet web site.

     (e) A student to whom this section applies may not request to transfer under this section primarily for athletic reasons to a school corporation in which the student does not have legal settlement.

     (f) If the number of requests to transfer into a school corporation received by the date established for the school corporation under subsection (b)(2) exceeds the capacity established for the school corporation under subsection (b)(1), each timely request must be given an equal chance to be accepted, with the exception that a student described in subsection (h) shall be given priority. The governing body must determine which students will be admitted as transfer students to each school building and each grade level within the school corporation by using a publicly verifiable random selection process.

     (g) Except as provided in subsections (i), (j), (k), and (m), the governing body of a school corporation may not deny a request for a student to transfer into the school corporation based upon the student’s academic record, scores on statewide assessment program tests, disciplinary record, or disability, or upon any other factor not related to the school corporation’s capacity.

     (h) Except as provided in subsections (i), (j), and (k), the governing body of a school corporation may not deny a request for a student to transfer into the school corporation if the student requesting to transfer:

(1) is a member of a household in which any other member of the household is a student in the transferee school; or

(2) has a parent who is an employee of the school corporation.

     (i) A governing body of a school corporation may limit the number of new transfers to a school building or grade level in the school corporation:

(1) to ensure that a student who attends a school within the school corporation as a transfer student during a school year may continue to attend the school in subsequent school years; and

(2) to allow a student described in subsection (h) to attend a school within the school corporation.

     (j) Notwithstanding subsections (f), (g), and (h), a governing body of a school corporation may deny a request for a student to transfer to the school corporation or may discontinue enrollment currently or in a subsequent school year, or establish terms or conditions for enrollment or for continued enrollment in a subsequent school year, if:

(1) the student has been suspended (as defined in IC 20-33-8-7) or expelled (as defined in IC 20-33-8-3) during the twelve (12) months preceding the student’s request to transfer under this section:

(A) for ten (10) or more school days;

(B) for a violation under IC 20-33-8-16;

(C) for causing physical injury to a student, a school employee, or a visitor to the school; or

(D) for a violation of a school corporation’s drug or alcohol rules; or

(2) the student has had a history of unexcused absences and the governing body of the school corporation believes that, based upon the location of the student’s residence, attendance would be a problem for the student if the student is enrolled with the school corporation.

For purposes of subdivision (1)(A), student discipline received under IC 20-33-8-25(b)(7) for a violation described in subdivision (1)(B) through (1)(D) shall be included in the calculation of the number of school days that a student has been suspended.

     (k) The governing body of a school corporation with a school building that offers a special curriculum may require a student who transfers to the school building to meet the same eligibility criteria required of all students who attend the school building that offers the special curriculum.

     (l) The parent of a student for whom a request to transfer is made is responsible for providing the school corporation to which the request is made with records or information necessary for the school corporation to determine whether the request to transfer may be denied under subsection (j).

     (m) Notwithstanding this section, the governing body of a school corporation may authorize the school corporation to enter into an agreement with a state accredited nonpublic school or charter school to allow students of the state accredited nonpublic school or charter school to transfer to a school within the school corporation.

     (n) A school corporation that has adopted a policy to not accept student transfers after June 30, 2013, is not prohibited from enrolling a:

(1) transfer student who attended a school within the school corporation during the 2012-2013 school year; or

(2) member of a household in which any other member of the household was a transfer student who attended a school within the school corporation during the 2012-2013 school year.

However, if a school corporation enrolls a student described in subdivision (1) or (2), the school corporation shall also allow a student or member of the same household of a student who attended a state accredited nonpublic school within the attendance area of the school corporation during the 2012-2013 school year to enroll in a school within the school corporation.

As added by P.L.282-2013, SEC.2. Amended by P.L.39-2014, SEC.1; P.L.228-2017, SEC.1; P.L.242-2017, SEC.15; P.L.250-2017, SEC.30; P.L.86-2018, SEC.177; P.L.92-2020, SEC.31.