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Administrative Procedures 5000 - Students
Administrative Procedure 5112 - Registration, Withdrawal and Transfer of Foreign Exchange Students

Administrative Procedure 5112 - Registration, Withdrawal and Transfer of Foreign Exchange Students

I. Purpose

To provide procedures for the acceptance and enrollment of foreign exchange students into secondary schools.

II. Policy

Foreign exchange students may be accepted as tuition-free nonresident students in the Prince George’s County Public Schools if they have not completed the equivalent of a high school program in their country. The sponsoring exchange organizations must be approved by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and be members of the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). The exchange organization must have local representatives in the Washington metropolitan area for the placement of students. The local representative bears the responsibility for the program and its participants.

The Chief Executive Officer shall have the right to annually determine the number of foreign exchange students admitted to the school system and the high school principal shall have the right to determine annually the number of exchange students admitted to the school with generally no more than four students nor more than two of the same nationality in a single school. Preference may be given to students whose host family has a student presently attending the selected school.

Exchange students may be awarded a Maryland High School Diploma if theyrequest an evaluation of their official school records by the International Student Counseling Office for that purpose when the exchange representative completes the “Application for the Admission of Exchange Students in Prince George’s County Public Schools” and official records are received prior to the student’s enrollment. The student must be able to complete all of the Maryland graduation requirements during his/her two semesters of attendance. Students are not eligible for a diploma if they will earn one upon their return home. A “Maryland International Student Certificate” will be awarded to foreign exchange students who successfully complete the school year and who are not earning a diploma.

Exchange organization representatives must agree to follow the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Administrative Procedure for the “Registration, Withdrawal, and Transfer of Foreign Exchange Students” and all United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs regulations in order to place students in our high schools.

III. Procedures

The International Student Counseling Office (ISCO) will be the liaison between exchange organization representatives and the schools. The following steps comprise the procedures for the acceptance and registration of students.

  1. Acceptance Process
    1. The exchange organization representative will complete the “Application for the Admission of Exchange Students in Prince George’s County Public Schools” and send it to the International Student Counseling Office between February 1 and July 30 for the next school year.
    2. The exchange organization must document that the student has demonstrated the ability to function academically in English without the support of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes.
    3. The staff at the International Student Counseling Office will contact the appropriate high school principal/designee for approval of the exchange student placement.
    4. The International Student Counseling Office will notify the exchange representative when the placement has been approved or denied.
    5. An appeal of a denied placement may be lodged with the Chief Executive Officer or his/her designee, whose decision will be final.
    6. If approved, the International Student Counseling Office Specialist will sign the exchange organization’s placement authorization form required by the Department of State and mail it to the local exchange organization representative.
    7. The exchange representative will send the International Student Counseling Office Welcome Letter to the exchange student after receiving the signed authorization. The exchange representative will also give the host family the Host Family Exchange Student Packet, which explains registration procedures, gives directions to the office, and includes registration forms, the Code of Student Conduct, a school year calendar and additional pertinent information about PGCPS.
    8. The International Student Counseling Office will forward appropriate information concerning the exchange student to the assigned school.
  2. Registration Process
    1. The International Student Counseling Office requires copies of the student’s exchange program application, official school transcripts, immunization records, and English proficiency scores before an evaluation can be made concerning final grade placement or qualifications for a diploma.
    2. The host family will contact the International Student Guidance Office for an appointment to begin the registration process of the student. The appointment should be made fort as soon as possible after the student’s arrival.
    3. At the time of enrollment, the following information must be provided:
      1. Final school records for the term prior to enrollment. These must be official records with a notarized translation if the student is seeking a diploma.
      2. Additional immunization records if needed.
      3. Student’s passport with the I-94.
      4. Proof of residence/address verification for the host family.
      5. Registration forms PA-14 and PA-15 (included in the Host Family Exchange Student Packet).
    4. The host family will receive a completed pre-enrollment packet from the ISCO which is to be presented at the school.
    5. All foreign exchange students are required to enroll in a full year of English and United States History classes.
  3. Diploma Requirements
    1. In order to be awarded a high school diploma, the foreign exchange student must meet all graduation requirements established by the Prince George’s County Public School System and the state of Maryland in one academic year.
    2. If a diploma is requested, the student’s official transcript beginning with the equivalent of grade nine and accompanied by a notarized translation must be received two weeks in advance of the student’s arrival in order to be evaluated and to have appropriate credits toward graduation awarded. The official transcripts must include the name of each course, the number of times the class met in a week, and the length of each class period.
    3. The student will be notified during the registration process of the courses and tests he/she will be required to pass and other requirements needed in order to earn a diploma.
    4. The student will receive a Prince George’s County high school diploma if he/she passes all of the stipulated required courses and tests, and meets all other graduation requirements.
  4. Other Requirements
    1. Class rings and yearbooks may be purchased by foreign exchange students on the same terms as they are by other students.
    2. Participation of non-diploma exchange students as guests during awards ceremonies and graduation is at the discretion of the high school principal.
  5. Transfers and Withdrawals
    1. Host families wishing to request a transfer for the exchange student to a school outside their assigned boundaries must follow established school system transfer policies.
      1. Form ST-1, “Student Transfer Request”, must be submitted between January 1 and July 1 to the Office of Student Transfers.
      2. The International Student Counseling Office will not request placement approval from the receiving high school principal until the Office of Student Transfers has approved or denied the transfer request.
      3. Acceptance at an alternate high school approved by the Office of Student Transfers does not permit a foreign exchange student to be enrolled in a magnet or special program at that school.
      4. Transportation shall be the responsibility of the host family.
    2. The exchange organization representative will notify the International Student Counseling Office if a foreign exchange student withdraws from the school system during the school year.
    3. The exchange organization representative will notify the International Student Counseling Office if a foreign exchange student changes his/her host family during the school year.
    4. Exchange organization representatives will provide the International Student Counseling Office with a copy of the exchange organization’s original placement approval form when requesting a transfer to a Prince George’s County high school for a student previously placed in another school system.

IV. Related Policies and Procedures

V. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

This Administrative Procedure originates with the Department of Student Engagement and School Support and regular updating will be completed as needed.

VI. Cancellations and Supersedures

This Administrative Procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 5112, dated May 1, 2003.

VII. Effective Date

Last Revised: July 1, 2013

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