TUSTIN : School-Transfer Forms to Be Available March 1

Parents who want to transfer their children to another school in the Tustin Unified School District must make the request between March 13 and April 7, according to the district’s director of student services.

Brad Lantz said that application forms will be available beginning March 1. If the number of students applying for transfer to a particular school exceeds the openings, a lottery will be conducted, he said. The rest will be placed on a waiting list.

Last year, the district adopted an open enrollment policy, giving parents the choice of sending their children to any school in the district.

Lantz said more than 400 students made the move during the current school year. There is no indication whether the number will increase in the next school year, he said.

But Lantz said that current students and their siblings will be given priority, and student transfers will be accepted only if space is available.

In addition, Lantz said transfers that will result in a school becoming segregated will be denied. Some residents said last year when the policy was adopted that some schools could become all-white schools, particularly in the more affluent areas of the district. But that has not happened, officials say.

Officials said parents will be responsible for the transportation of their children to another school.

“Parents are strongly urged to give careful thought before requesting a transfer,” Lantz said.

Information: (714) 730-7325.