Montgomery County parents who wish to request a change in school assignment for their children from their regularly-assigned school may begin the process during the upcoming transfer season, which will be held from February 1 through April 1, 2002.

Students in Montgomery County Public Schools 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 elementary to middle school and 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 an information booklet that describes the process and provides useful information. Assignment change forms and the Change in School Assignment Information Booklet 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 booklet.

Every effort will be made to notify parents of the assignment decision by May 15.

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 (301-230-3073), the Asian Hotline (301-230-5436), and the ESOL Parent Center (301-230-0674).