Student Residency Requirements

Admission Criteria for Student Registration

1.  Eligibility to attend based on domicile/residence

Attendance in Fairfield Township School shall be free to any person over three and under twenty years of age who is domiciled within or is otherwise considered a legal resident of Fairfield Township.  Those who meet this requirement include:

a.  Students who are living with a parent or guardian whose permanent home is located within the district.

b.  Students who are living with a person, other than the parent or guardian, who is domiciled within the boundaries of the district and is supporting the child without compensation because the parent cannot support the student due to family or economic hardship.

c.  Students who are living with a person domiciled within the boundaries of the district where the parent is a member of the NJ National Guard or the reserve component of the US armed forces and has been ordered into active military services in the US armed forces in time of war or emergency.

d.  Students who are living with a parent or guardian who is temporarily residing within the boundaries of the district.

e.  Students who are the child of a parent or guardian who moveto another district as the result of being homeless.

f.   Students who are under the guardianship of the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services and have been placed in a residence within the boundaries of the district.

g.  Students who have been placed by court order in the home of someone who lives within the boundaries of the district.

2.  Proof of Eligibility

At the time of registration, families will be required to provide proof of their eligibility to enroll a student in Fairfield Township School.  The documentation provided will be evaluated and if acceptable, the student will be determined eligible to enroll and attend school.

If inaccurate documents or no proof of residency is provided, the student will not be permitted to enroll at that time.  If the documentation provided is incomplete or insufficient, the student will be permitted provisional enrollment. This will enable the student to attend school for a period of 30 calendar days while the appropriate documentation of residency/domicile is gathered.  If documentation is not presented to the district within the 30 calendar day period, the student may be excluded from attending school until such documentation is provided.

Public schools are required to provide a free education to all persons over age 5 and under age 20 who are domiciled in the district.  Domiciled means that the student is living with a parent or guardian whose permanent home is located within the boundaries of the district.

  • A home is permanent when the person intends to return to it when absent and has no present plan to move from it, even though he/she has existence of homes or residences elsewhere. Residency requires bodily presence as an occupant in a given district.

If, at any time, you or your child changes domicile or residence, you must report this information immediately to the school building secretary.

It is the policy of the Board that should the district discover that a child is not a legal resident of the district and is illegally attending the Fairfield Township School, the district will assess the parents the full cost of the tuition for such attendance. Any additional costs for special education services will be added to the regular education costs.

PROOF OF RESIDENCY DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

The parent/guardian of any registering student must provide residency documentation as follows

Own

One Primary Document

  • Tax Bill (confirm “dwelling” indicated on bill, not just land)
  • Closing Statement OR Agreement of Sale (confirm “dwelling” or “house”)

One Secondary Documents (with address listed within 2 months of registration)

  • Property Tax bill
  • Any utility bill
  • Any Insurance Documents
  • Pay Stub
  • Car Registration

Rent

One Primary Document

  • Official Lease with expiration date
  • Notarized Affidavit G of Lease not available

One Secondary Documents (with address listed within 2 months of registration)

  • Property Tax bill
  • Any utility bill
  • Any Insurance Documents
  • Pay Stub
  • Car Registration

Other

One Primary Document

  • Notarized Affidavit of Residence* (living with family/friend or homeless) – Updated Annually

Two Secondary Documents

  • Person providing Affidavit must provide documents listed above

3.  In-eligibility to Attend

The district reserves the right to investigate any student’s residency status where there is reason to believe that the student may not be legally domiciled. This investigation may result in a hearing before the Board of Education, or a committee of the Board of Education,where the family will have the opportunity to further explain the circumstances of their residence and provide any additional proof of domicile, which would entitle the student to attend Fairfield Public Schools.

Should the district discover that a child is not a legal resident of the district and is illegally attending the Fairfield Township School, the district will assess the parents the full cost of the tuition for any period of ineligible attendance.  This tuition charge shall be the same as the charge for regular tuition students as approved annually by the Board of Education, in accordance with the New Jersey Department of Education formula. Any additional costs for special education services will be added to this figure.

The decision of the Board can be appealed to the Commissioner of Education in accordance with the procedures of the New Jersey Department of Education division of Controversies and Disputes.

4.  Procedures

The Board will establish procedures for registration of students including written notification of: the registration process, eligibility or ineligibility to enroll, provisional enrollment status, ineligibility to attend, and rights and provisions of the appeal process.