The Knox County Board of Education recognizes that there are situations in which a family may wish 
for their child to attend a school other than their zoned school. This policy sets forth the parameters 
through which parents and/or legal guardians may request student transfer.

DEFINITIONS

The term "zoned school" refers to the school located in the parent's or legal guardian's school zone of 
residence; all students are required to attend their zoned school unless they have received an approved 
transfer.

The term "receiving school" refers to the school to which a transfer has been granted.

An “out-of-zone student” is a student who attends a school that is not his or her zoned school.

The term “sibling” refers to a brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother, step-sister, or foster 
child living in the same household.

The terms “parent” and “legal guardian” refer to the legally-recognized parent or legal guardian of a 
student.

CONDITIONS FOR STUDENT TRANSFERS

Transportation. Transportation of transferring students from zoned school to receiving school will not 
be provided by the Board of Education unless expressly stated in accordance with Administrative 
Procedure AP-J-152. Unless so stated, transportation shall be the responsibility of the parents, legal 
guardians or students.

Required Approval. No out-of-zone student may be enrolled without a transfer approved by the Director  of Enrollment or the Director of Schools.

Available Capacity. All transfers are subject to limitations of available capacity. Determination of 
capacity will take into consideration physical space available, program offerings and the staffing level.

Duration. Approved general transfers are generally effective through the terminal grade level of the 
school to which the student is assigned. Students granted transfers will be expected to maintain an 
appropriate academic, disciplinary and attendance record at the receiving school. If a student does not 
meet these expectations, the principal of the receiving school may recommend that the transfer be 
revoked, and the student be returned to their zoned school. The Director of Schools or his/her designee 
shall review and approve or deny any principal's recommendation to revoke a student transfer. Students 
who are directed to return to their zoned school shall do so at the end of the school year, unless the Director of Schools determines it is in the best interests of the student and/or the school system to do 
otherwise. 

WRONGFUL ENROLLMENT

Any out-of-zone student found to be enrolled in or attending a school other than their zoned school 
without an approved transfer shall be returned to the appropriate zoned school at the end of the semester  in which the violation is discovered, unless the Director of Schools or his/her designee determines it is in  the best interests of the student and/or the school system to do otherwise. If the wrongful transfer or  enrollment is believed to have been a willful action on the part of a parent or legal guardian, the Director  of Schools may pursue action under the provisions of the Tennessee Code Annotated.

TRANSFER APPLICATION AND PROCESS

The Director of Schools will establish a procedure (AP-J-152) that will provide A transparent and 
equitable opportunity for all families to apply for a transfer.

Applicants. Only the student’s parents or legal guardians may apply for a transfer on behalf of a student.

Transfer Windows. Transfer applications must be submitted during one of two annually established 
open transfer periods:

•  Priority Transfer Window. The Priority Transfer Window shall begin on the first business day of 
  October and end on the Tuesday following President’s Day.
• Final Transfer Window. The Final Transfer Window shall begin on the first business day of April 
  and end on the first business day in June.

Reasons for Transfer. Parents and/or legal guardians may apply for a student transfer for any number 
of reasons, including: 

Academic Program of Study – Parents or legal guardians may request a transfer on the basis of a 
specific program of study (JROTC, CTE, etc.) that is not comparably available at their zoned school. 
Academic programs of study consist of complete two-, three-, and four-year programs. Single class 
offerings do not apply, and students requesting a program of study transfer must illustrate a 
commitment to enrolling in the requested program of study for a minimum of two (2) years. 

Child of a KCS Employee – Children of teachers employed by Knox County Schools will be granted 
a transfer, based on the availability of appropriate programming, to the school where the teacher is 
employed after filing an appropriate transfer request during the open transfer window. Knox County 
Schools will also make every effort to extend this benefit to all employees on a capacity-available 
basis. Employees of Knox County Schools who experience a change in employment status after the 
open transfer application windows have closed may apply for a Hardship Transfer. Any additional 
qualifications for a Specialty School Transfer must be met before an employee request for student 
transfer will be considered. Active, full-time employee status will be verified through the Knox 
County Payroll Office. 

School Choice – In accordance with Policy J-290, parents or legal guardians may request a School 
Choice transfer if their student attends a school that is deemed “persistently dangerous” according to criteria established by the Tennessee Board of Education or if their student has been the victim of a 
violent crime at their zoned school.

Sibling of a Currently Enrolled Student – In accordance with Administrative Procedure AP-J-152, 
students with a sibling enrolled at a school other than their zoned school may request a transfer to the  same school on a basis of their sibling’s enrollment.  

Specialty School – Specialty schools are non-zoned schools or schools that offer unique programs of 
study, such as L&N STEM Academy, Career Magnet Academy, KCS Virtual School, the Beaumont 
Magnet Academy Honors Program, and the West High School IB Programme. Transfers to these 
schools may require additional qualifications for approval, and may be entitled to transportation.

Parents/legal guardians may also request s student transfer unrelated to any of the above-listed reasons if  they feel it is in the best interest of their child. The Director of Schools shall maintain a procedure (APJ-152) to address the various reasons for student transfers and any accompanying qualifications.

Randomizing Applications. At the conclusion of each transfer window, applications shall be assigned 
an electronically-issued random number. Applications shall then be processed according to their 
randomly assigned number and the procedures set forth in AP-J-152.

Waitlist. Should the number of transfer requests for a given school exceed that school’s programmatic 
or staffing capacity, applications shall be placed on a waitlist according to their randomly assigned 
number and the procedures set forth in Administrative Procedure AP-J-152. Applications shall remain on 
the waitlist until space becomes available at the requested school or until waitlists are closed on the Friday  prior to the start of the school year. Students who have not received an approved transfer prior to the start of the school year shall report to their zoned school at the beginning of the new school year.

Administrative Placements. The Director of Schools has the authority to administratively place a 
student for what the Director determines to be the well-being of the student or the best interests of the 
school system.

Hardship Transfers. A hardship transfer may be requested at any time during the school year due to an 
emergency, a change in family or residential status, or other extraordinary circumstance requiring 
immediate consideration. Hardship Transfers must be submitted in accordance with the procedures set 
forth in Administrative Procedure AP-J-152 and shall be evaluated by the Enrollment Department in the 
order in which they are received.

Appeal. The school system's decisions in the selection of receiving schools for students applying for 
magnet schools or courses not offered in their zoned schools are not appealable. Parents/legal guardians  may appeal other transfer decisions to school officials in the following order:

1. Director of Enrollment 
2. Summer Appeals Committee 
3. Director of Schools 
4. Knox County Board of Education

Legal References: 
1.T.C.A.§ 49-6-3113 (b) (1). 
2.T.C.A.§ 39-16-504. 

Approved as to Legal Form 
By Knox County Law Director 10/31/2023
/Gary T. Dupler/Deputy Law Director