Columbia Board of Education to vote on changes to student transfer policy Monday night
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo.
The Columbia Board of Education will vote on changes to the school district’s transfer policy for students Monday night.
This is all apart of its summer session meetings ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
The district called transfers a privilege, not a right. The school district will evaluate student transfer requests from non-district employees on a case-by-case basis, considering educational needs of the student rather than convenience, according to the board’s agenda.
Once a transfer has been approved, the student may continue to attend the transfer school. This is new, as previous transfer requests would need to be renewed for a student each year. Parents and guardians will not have to re-apply for a transfer.
The district may, however, rescind a transfer for cause, including disciplinary issues, poor attendance and more. If a student chooses to return to their home school, they will not be eligible for another transfer for one full school year.
The school district will grant district employees’ requests for transfers to non-lottery schools. All transfers are also subject to building space availability. The school district will not provide transportation for transfer students unless required by law.
John Lyman, the board’s President, told ABC 17 News that the majority of the transfer requests they receive are from employees for their children.
“It helps employees out. If you live in Beulah Ralph’s district, but then you work at Paxton Keeley, it makes sense for your kids to go to Paxton Keely,” Lyman said.
Transfer requests to the district administration building on or before April 1st of the school year prior to the year the transfer is requested will be considered first. Requests can still be submitted after April 1st, but they will not be looked at until all the requests made before the deadline are completed.
Transfer decisions for those applying by April 1 will be made no later than May 1. Transfer decisions made by those applying after April 1 will be made by June 1st, or 14 days after the application is submitted, whichever comes later.
The school district will not grant transfer requests to lottery or autonomous schools unless the request is from a district employee currently physically employed at the school requested, the placement at the lottery school is related to a student’s IEP plan, or if it’s required by law.
Students who move from one school attendance area to another school attendance area during the school year will be allowed to complete the school year at their original school without transportation. To remain at that school a transfer request will need to be made.
A student who has suffered from a violent crime or has been seriously injured at their school may also transfer to another public school in the district upon request.
However, even if the board passes the changes, Lyman says there’s still more work to be done before the 2026-27 school year when the changes would go into effect.
“The administration has to have written procedures out for the board to review to look at these things and see how in practice then are they going to work,” Lyman said.
Those procedures will be due from the superintendent’s office by January 31, 2026.
Monday’s meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at the Aslin Administration Building.