Student Placement Procedures

 

I.            School Placement

A.    Assignment to School in Designated Attendance Area

Students residing in Hamden, Connecticut will be assigned to attend Hamden Public Schools (“District”) schools in designated attendance areas as established by the Hamden Board of Education (“Board”) and must register in their assigned school. The vast majority of resident students will be assigned to schools within their designated attendance areas.

B.    Assignment to Out-of-Attendance Area School

Parents/guardians may seek for their children, who reside in Hamden, Connecticut, to attend a school other than the school in their designated attendance area (“Out-of-Attendance Area School”) in extenuating circumstances. Parents/guardians must complete and submit the District’s Out-of-Attendance Area Request Form to the Superintendent of Schools and cite their reasons for the request.  The parents/guardians shall also provide supporting documentation, as appropriate and as requested by the Superintendent. 

Upon receipt of a written request, the Superintendent will consider the reasons provided by the student’s parent/guardian regarding the request.  The Superintendent shall consult with the building principal, the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, and/or other Hamden Public Schools (“District”) staff when reviewing the request. 

The Superintendent will consider a number of factors when determining whether to approve the request, including but not limited to: seat availability and class size at the Out-of-Attendance Area School, the need for predictable enrollment at each school in the District and other operational considerations, and any other factors deemed relevant to the request.  The Superintendent will make a decision to approve or deny the request and shall notify the parents/guardians of the decision. The decision of the Superintendent regarding school placement shall be final.

If approval for a resident student to attend an Out-of-Attendance Area School is granted, it shall be (1) for up to one school year only, (2) effective only while the student remains a resident of Hamden, and (3) only for the student for whom the request was submitted (with no effect on placement of the student’s siblings, either for that school year or any school year thereafter). 

If the student’s parents/guardians seek for the student’s continued placement in the Out-of-Attendance Area School, they must file a request for renewal by April 15 for the following school year.  Similarly, if the parents/guardians seek for an Out-of-Attendance Area School placement for another child, they must file a separate request.  The Superintendent shall consider such requests independently and in accordance with the procedure outlined above.

If a resident student receives approval to attend an Out-of-Attendance Area School, transportation to and from school will be the responsibility of the parents/guardians.  If the student’s parents/guardians are unable to transport the student to and from the Out-of-Attendance Area School on a timely and consistent basis, the student may be reassigned to the school within the student’s designated attendance area.  Decisions regarding reassignment shall be made by the Superintendent, whose decision shall be final.

 

II.          Class Placement

When placing students in classes within their assigned schools, the District will consider each student’s individual needs and learning style and seek to make a placement in which the student will grow academically, socially, and emotionally.  The District will inform parents and guardians about the class placement process, notify parents of the building administrator designated to make class placement decisions (the “Building Administrator”), and provide opportunities for parents and guardians to provide input regarding their child’s strengths and needs before class placement decisions are made. 

              A.  Initial Placement

1.    Students Entering Elementary or Middle School: For a student entering a District elementary or middle school for the first time, the Building Administrator, in consultation with the student’s parent/guardian(s), guidance personnel, and/or other District staff as appropriate, shall review and consider relevant student records and make a determination as to the appropriate grade level and classroom assignment(s) for such student. Assignment to a grade level and class shall be decided by the Building Administrator, whose decision is final.  Decisions regarding admission to District schools at or before age five shall be made in accordance with relevant Board policy.

 

2.    Students Entering High School: For a student entering the District’s high school from another school district or homeschooling, the Building Administrator, in consultation with the student’s parent/guardian(s), guidance personnel, and/or other District staff as appropriate, shall review and consider relevant student records and make a determination as to the appropriate awarding of credit, if any, in accordance with applicable Board policy and/or applicable law.

 

B.    Continuing Placement

1.    For students in elementary school, parents and guardians will be notified annually about the class placement process and will be offered the opportunity to provide input regarding their child’s strengths and needs before class placement decisions are made. Parents/guardians must provide such input by April 15. 

2.    For students in elementary school, the Building Administrator will place a student in a particular class after review of data obtained throughout the school year; consultation with District staff; consideration of the academic, personal, and social and emotional needs of the student; the student’s learning style; groupings within a grade; and other criteria the principal and District staff deem relevant.  The decision of the Building Administrator shall be final.

3.    Decisions regarding promotion and retention shall be made in accordance with the Board’s policies regarding promotion and retention.

 

III.  Special Education and Homebound Instruction

The District will provide special education and homebound instruction to students who are eligible for such services and instruction in accordance with applicable law.

 

 Legal Reference:

Connecticut General Statutes 10-15 Towns to maintain schools

10-220 Duties of boards of education

10-221 Boards of education to prescribe rules, policies and procedures

 

Regulation revised:	October 14, 2025	HAMDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Regulation approved:	June 14, 1995	Hamden, Connecticut