1. Unofficial or “Hand-Carried” Education Records/Transcripts
(See IC Article IV.A and Article IV.B which are addressed by COMAR 13A.03.02.12 General Provisions)

• Enrolling: Students will be enrolled and appropriately placed in classes based on either official or unofficial education records without delay.
  • Request records of new entrants in writing from sending school
• Transferring: Maryland will continue using SR 7 Card Withdrawal/Transfer Record when a student withdraws.
  • Upon request, records will be sent quickly, within at least 10 days of request.

2. Immunizations
(See IC Article IV.C, which is addressed by COMAR 10.06.04.06.C Temporary Admission or Retention)

• Military students will have 30 days from the date of enrollment to obtain any immunizations required or at least start the series of required vaccinations.
  • The IC Article overrides COMAR or local regulations regarding the number of days allowed to obtain immunizations.

3. Kindergarten and First Grade Entrance Age
(See IC Article IV.D, which is addressed by COMAR 13A.08.01.02-2C Age for School Attendance)

• The receiving school shall allow a student to continue in the grade level in which he/she was enrolled in the sending state at the time of transition, regardless of age.
• The student will be allowed to matriculate to the next grade level if he/she has satisfactorily completed the prerequisite grade level, regardless of age regulations in COMAR or at the local school system level.

4. Course/Educational Program Placement & Placement Flexibility
(See IC Article V.A, Article V.B and Article V.D. This is not addressed by COMAR)

• The receiving school shall initially honor the sending school course placements if the courses are offered.
  • This would include honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), , Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs of study, Gifted and Talented, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESL).
• Schools have flexibility in waiving prerequisites as preconditions for course or program placement.
• Subsequent evaluations can be administered to ensure appropriate placement and continued enrollment.
• Magnet schools and programs should demonstrate flexibility in application dates, including the possibility of waiver, to allow the opportunity for application and/or audition leading to appropriate placement for a qualified student.

5. Special Education Services
(See IC Article V.C. This is addressed by federal IDEA and the Rehabilitation Act and by COMAR 13A.05.01.09E(2).)

• The receiving state shall initially provide comparable services to a student with disabilities based on his/her current Individualized Education Program (IEP) and federal law.
• The receiving state shall make reasonable accommodations and modifications to address the needs of incoming students with disabilities, subject to an existing 504 or ELL Title III Plan, to provide the student with equal access to education.
• The receiving state may perform subsequent evaluations to ensure appropriate placement of the student.

6. Absence Related to Deployment Activities
(See IC Article V, which is addressed by COMAR 13A.08.01.03.J.)

• Students shall be granted additional excused absences at the discretion of the local education agency superintendent if the parent
  • is being deployed to a combat zone or combat support posting.
  • is on leave from, or immediately returning from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting.

7. Eligibility for Enrollment: Special Circumstances
(See IC Article VI.A, which is addressed by COMAR 13A.08.05.02 Informal Kinship Care General Provisions)

• Guardianship: A special power of attorney, relative to the guardianship of a child of a military family and executed under applicable law, shall be sufficient for the purposes of enrollment and all other actions requiring parental participation and consent.
• Local Tuition: A local education agency shall be prohibited from charging local tuition to a transitioning military child placed in the care of a non-custodial parent or other person standing in loco parentis who lives in a jurisdiction other than that of the custodial parent.
• Jurisdictional Enrollment: A transitioning military child, placed in the care of a non-custodial parent or other person standing in loco parentis who lives in a jurisdiction other than that of the custodial parent, may continue to attend the school in which he/she was enrolled while residing with the custodial parent.

8. Eligibility for Extracurricular Participation
(See IC Article VI.B, which is addressed by COMAR 13A.06.03.02 Eligibility)

• Schools shall facilitate the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, regardless of application deadlines, to the extent that the student is otherwise qualified.

9. Graduation: Awarding a Diploma
(See IC Article VII.A, VII.B, and VII. C, which is addressed by COMAR 13A.03.02.12 General Provisions)

As has always been the practice, every effort should be made between the receiving and the sending school systems to ensure that a senior receives his/her diploma on time whether from the sending or receiving system/state.

Waiver requirements:
Local education agency administrative officials shall waive specific courses required for graduation if similar course work has been satisfactorily completed in another local education agency or shall provide reasonable justification for denial. Should a waiver not be granted to a student who would qualify to graduate from the sending school, the local education agency shall provide an alternative means of acquiring required coursework so that graduation may occur on time.