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, 2006.

Except for students in the Northeast Consortium (NEC), Downcounty Consortium (DCC), and Middle School Magnet Consortium (MSMC) areas, students in 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 school 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 and on the school system Web site at [ http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org ]www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org shortly thereafter. The booklet will be available in both English and Spanish. 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, 2006.

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 or the ESOL Parent Center at 301-230-0674. Language Lines also are available to leave a message for someone to return the call. They are: Spanish, 301-230-5403; Cambodian, 301-230-5427; Chinese, 301-230-5428; French, 301-230-5429; Korean, 301-230-5430; and Vietnamese, 301-230-5432.

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