Mansfield ISD released an out-of-district program called Destination Mansfield, where students residing outside the borders of MISD regulations have the opportunity to transfer to select MISD schools. The transfer application portal opened Dec. 1 and closed Feb. 1.
“We are looking for students who want to come into Mansfield ISD,” Dr. Stephanie Bonneau, principal, said. “We want them to be able to contribute to our district culture and achievements.”
For students to earn eligibility, they must fall within a certain criteria. According to MISD, they must be a Texas resident, the student’s total attendance rate at their previous school must be at least 95% and the student may not have any type of disciplinary action in school or outside of school.
“Teenagers are bound to make mistakes, some are minor for sure, like maybe you had your phone out and got caught or skipped the line in the cafeteria,” Dr. Bonneau said. “Now, when we have major behavioral problems, it can make the student eligible to have their transfer revoked.”
MISD becoming an open district allows students the opportunity to take classes and participate in extracurricular activities their current district may not have. Students who live outside of the district must have a method of transportation if they want to attend MISD.
“For out-of-district students, it gives them the opportunities they might not had in their last district, depending on where they were,” Dr. Bonneau said, “but I want people to also understand that students need to have methods of transportation to attend our district.”
Students must have an appropriate academic process from their previous school, and while it is different for each grade, they all share the base guidelines of passing all classes and need to have accomplished Approaches, Meets, or Masters on their STAAR and EOC tests.
“It’s a process for sure, especially making sure students who are transferring in are getting into the right courses once they transfer,” AP World and European History teacher Ms. Abbigayle Marion said. “Although I feel like with getting more students, we try to focus on the independent students’ needs, but that can get really complicated if there are too many.”
Ms. Marion said high school sports are meant for students who live in the area, and when schools start recruiting, it disrupts schools’ abilities to have equitable opportunities for sports.
“I think this can become a dicey process,” Ms. Marion said. “If we have the funding to take the new students, that’s great, but I’m worried we won’t focus on the right things with our funding.”
Ms. Marion said her concerns surrounding MISD becoming an open district roots in MISD’s funding process, and making sure that all teachers are given adequate funding, because more students can bring more stress on teachers.
“I would love any students who want to have an opportunity to come to MISD and take our classes,” Ms. Marion said. “As long as teachers are provided the correct resources to accommodate the growing population.”
Out-of-district students indicate which schools they would prefer to attend, and once they are accepted, MISD will take their options into consideration, but they will place the student at the school that best fits their needs, along with finding a school with space and staffing at their grade level. According to MISD, in-district transfer applicants will receive an email telling them if they have been accepted or denied for the next school year after being reviewed by MISD.
“With out of district transfers, we want to make sure they feel welcome,” Dr. Bonneau said, “and make sure they are acclimating and finding a place to plug in and feel comfortable here.”
