Montgomery County parents who wish to request a change in school assignment for their children from their home school may begin the process during the upcoming transfer season, which will be held from February 1 through April 1, 2004.

Except for high school students in the Northeast Consortium (NEC) and ninth grade students in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) areas, students in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) are assigned to a school on the basis of their place of residence and are expected to attend their home school. Assignment changes of students from one school to another are permitted under the following limited circumstances:

· Older sibling in the requested school.
· Continuation in a feeder pattern from middle to high school, except when affected by boundary changes.
· A documented hardship situation.

The transfer process begins in the home school, where parents may request an assignment change form and the Change of School Assignment Information Booklet that describes the process and provides useful information.

Assignment change forms and the information booklets will be available in schools beginning the first week of February. Special programs that do not fall under the transfer guidelines are listed in the information booklet. Every effort will be made to notify parents of the assignment decision by May 15, 2004.

For more information about the transfer process, parents are asked to contact the principal of their home school. Non-English speaking parents may receive more information by calling the Spanish Hotline at 301-230-3073, the Asian Hotline at 301-230-5436, or the ESOL Parent Center at 301-230-0674.

For information about assignments for students residing in the NEC or DCC, please call 301-649-8081.