- Leon County Schools
- Dispute Resolution Process
Families in Transition (F.I.T.)
Page Navigation
-
Dispute Resolution
When a dispute occurs, the student shall be enrolled immediately, receive an enrollment decision in writing, and be referred to the District’s Liaison, who will carry out the dispute resolution per the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(3)(E)).
Dispute Resolution Process
If an enrollment dispute develops regarding the enrollment options available under the McKinney-Vento Act:
(a) The student shall be immediately admitted to the school of origin or the local attendance area school as request by the parent or unaccompanied youth, pending resolution of the dispute.
(b) The Principal shall complete the electronic “School Selection Committee Request” which notifies the District’s Liaison a written explanation of the school’s position regarding school selection of a student and the nature of the dispute.
(c) The parent and/or student shall be referred to the District’s Homeless Liaison, who shall ensure the resolution process is carried out as expeditiously as possible after receiving notice of the dispute.
(d) The Homeless Liaison shall refer the matter to the “School Selection Committee”, who shall, within 15 business days after receipt, schedule a meeting with school administration, and the family in an effort to resolve the dispute. The primary objective in reaching a resolution is to determine whether maintaining the student’s current enrollment is in the student’s best interest.
(e) In the event the matter is not resolved, the District shall provide the parent or guardian of the student or the unaccompanied youth with a written explanation of the District’s decision regarding school selection, including the rights of the parent, guardian or student to appeal the decision through the District’s enrollment dispute procedure and the Florida Department of Education’s appeal process . The Homeless liaison will report the incident in the FDOE Dispute Resolution Tracking System.
(f) The Homeless Liaison will provide the parent, guardian or student the FLDOE School Dispute Resolution Appeal Process form. The form must be completed and returned to the Homeless Liaison within ten business day, who shall send it, along with any additional written documentation provided by the school, to FLDOE. The Homeless Liaison will report the state-level appeal in the FDOE Dispute Resolution Tracking System.
(g) Upon receipt of the notice of appeal, the State Homeless Education Coordinator must within ten working days, convene a FDOE panel, comprised of the Coordinator, the Director of the Title I Programs, and the Chief of the Bureau of Student Assistance. This panel shall review the entire record of the dispute, including any written statements submitted, and make a determination based on the child’s or youth’s best interest.
(h) Within ten business days of receipt of the recommendation, the Commissioner shall make the final determination. For educational purposes, the decision of the Commissioner in such cases is final. The FDOE will provide a written decision regarding the appeal to all parties involved, including the LEA Homeless Liaison.Below is the Dispute Resolution form to request this process. Please complete the form and return to the F.I.T. office. Thank you!