Minimum age at which a child may enter. A child who is six years of age on or before December 31 or the date on which school begins in the enrolling district shall be entitled to admission to the first grade in the public elementary schools at the opening of such schools for that school year or as soon as practicable thereafter. A child who is under six years of age on December 31 or the date on which school begins in the enrolling district shall not be entitled to admission to the first grade in the public elementary schools during that school year; except, that an underage child who transfers from the first grade of a school in another state may be admitted to school upon approval of the board of education in authority, and an underage child who has moved into this state having completed or graduated from a mandated kindergarten program in another state shall be entitled to admission to the public elementary schools regardless of age. A child who becomes six years of age on or before February 1 may, on approval of the local board of education, be admitted at the beginning of the second semester of that school year to schools in school systems having semiannual promotions of pupils.

(b)     A child who is five years of age on or before September 1 or the date on which school begins in the enrolling district shall be entitled to admission to the local public school kindergartens at the opening of such schools for that school year or as soon as practicable thereafter; a child who is under five years of age on September 1 or the date on which school begins in the enrolling district shall not be entitled to admission to such schools during that school year; except that, an underage child who transfers from the public school kindergarten in another state may be admitted to local public kindergarten on the prior approval of the local board of education on a space available basis. The aforementioned underage children transferring from the public school kindergartens of another state, upon successful completion of kindergarten in the local public schools, will then be allowed admission to the first grade of the local public schools.

Documents Required for School Admission

Any student entering the Montgomery Public School System, regardless of grade level, shall be required to submit the following:

1.     Parent/Guardian Photo ID ─ Valid Alabama driver or non-drivers license, or Military ID

2.     Student’s birth certificate- proof of age and verification of legal guardianship- if different from birth certificate

3.     A current State of Alabama Certificate of Immunization

Mandatory Immunization Law- Each child enrolled in daycare, Head Start, and public or private school in Alabama must have a valid Alabama Certificate of Immunization on file at the facility that they attend. The certificate may be obtained from the physician or clinic that administers the vaccine or may be completed by any county health department in the state if the parent presents a vaccine record from the provider. For students who are moving to Alabama, out-of-state vaccine records must be transferred to the Alabama Certificate of Immunization before enrollment in day care, Head Start, or school entry. This may be accomplished by taking a vaccine record from the provider to the local county health department, or if a physician in Alabama has been chosen by the family, the record may be transposed by the physician.

The State of Alabama does not recognize philosophical, moral, or ethical exemption from vaccination. A medical exemption may be used by a physician or an Alabama Certificate of Religious Exemption may be obtained from the local county health department. Attendees of daycare and Head Start must be age-appropriately vaccinated against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Haemophilus Influenza Type B, Polio, and Chickenpox.

4.     Two proofs of residence – At least two primary proofs of residency are required annually at registration and may be requested throughout the school year. All documents submitted as proof of residence must contain the parent or legal guardian’s physical address for the school to verify that the residence is in the zone. ( No Post Office Box address will be accepted)

B. Provision for Determining Residence of Students

At the beginning of each school year and with each residence change, the school shall obtain from the parent/guardian at least two (2) proofs of residency as described below to demonstrate residency at the address given. The documentation should be kept as a part of the student record. Proof of residency may be requested again within 90 days of the start of school, the beginning of a new semester, and/or any time the principal deems necessary.

C. Forms of Acceptable Proof of Residence

Required- TWO documents that reflect a student’s physical residence – Must submit at least one primary proof

Primary Proofs of Residence:

1.          Utility Bills or Deposit Receipts- for electric, gas, or water service only. Must be current- within 30 days- for electric, gas, or water service- No disconnect notices allowed

2.          Mortgage Statement

Monthly mortgage statement- must be current- within 30 days

Secondary Proofs of Residence:

1.          Property Tax Records or Deeds- Tax Receipt, Property Deed (Please blacken out any personal financal information

2.          Income Tax Records- Correspondence from the IRS

3.          Correspondence from the Social Security Office

4.          Correspondence from other U.S. government agencies- (Department of Human Resources, Food Stamp Office)- excludes Medicaid

D.Parent/ Custody Issues

Due to the overwhelming number of custody issues involving students, all Montgomery Public School System employees will follow the procedure as outlined below relating to non-custodial parents' access to student records and visitation. School system employees should not be placed in the position of reading and attempting to interpret divorce decrees to resolve custody issues. The student enrollment card, as completed by enrolling parents, should govern issues related to pick up, visitation, etc. of students at school. The non-custodial parent has the right to receive copies of the child/children’s educational records including, but not limited to, a copy of report cards unless such rights have been specifically revoked by a court order or other legally binding document. Any specific custody issue should be forwarded to Montgomery Public Schools’ board attorney along with a copy of the enrollment card and custody paperwork- for review and final interpretation. The primary purpose of our schools is to provide a safe learning environment for all students with our focus on instruction. The schools should not become the environment for parental custody disputes.