At its Jan. 14 meeting, the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach elected Kathleen Brown as chair and Carolyn Weems as vice chair. Brown has served on the School Board for two years and Weems for 22 years.
International Students 5-10.3
School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Regulation 5-10.3
STUDENTS
International Students
- Generally
Classifications of international students will be those on F-1 and J-1 nonimmigrant student visas.
- "F-1 students" will be defined as persons who have residence in a foreign country to which they plan to return and whose primary purpose for visiting the United States is to study full-time at an approved institution. They must be proficient in English and prove that they have the financial resources required for their education and stay in the United States.
The "Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996" places the following restrictions on students who wish to attend public schools on F-1 visas:
- Students must be in Grades 9-12;
- School attendance is limited to a maximum of 12 months; and
- Students (or their sponsor) are required to reimburse public secondary schools for the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of education for the intended period of study. Proof that such tuition has been paid must be evidenced on the application form (I-20A-B) for the visa. Waivers are not allowed.
- "J-1 students" will be defined as persons who have residence in a foreign country to which they plan to return and who have been selected to study in the United States by a student exchange program. The program must be approved by the U. S. Department of State as a sponsor and approved by the Office of Student Leadership, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, to place students in Virginia Beach. All exchange programs must be in compliance with the Council on Standards for International Education Travel (CSIET) Standards and have been accepted for a Full Virginia High School League (VHSL) listing for the upcoming school year.
- Admissions decisions on F-l and J-1 applications will be the responsibility of the Office of Student Leadership. Students will be accepted for one school year only. No semester students will be accepted.
- The Coordinator of Student Conduct/Services will serve as the Designated School Official who is responsible for issuing the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-20 for F-1 students.
- "F-1 students" will be defined as persons who have residence in a foreign country to which they plan to return and whose primary purpose for visiting the United States is to study full-time at an approved institution. They must be proficient in English and prove that they have the financial resources required for their education and stay in the United States.
- Procedures for F-1 Students
- An application must be completed by the student or sponsor and submitted to the Office of Student Leadership. The application must include a copy of the student's official transcript, translated and certified, documenting all subjects taken from the eighth year of school to the present; English language proficiency documentation; and proof of financial responsibility.
- Students must have written and oral English skills.
- Grade classification will be based on an evaluation of the student's official transcript and in accordance with School Board policies and regulations.
- The Coordinator of Student Conduct/Services will send an authorization for enrollment to the high school receiving the student. Enrollment will be conducted in accordance with School Board policies and regulations.
- Students who meet graduation requirements will be eligible for a diploma.
- Students who have been awarded a diploma or a certificate of completion in the student's home country will not be enrolled in Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
- Procedures for J-1 Exchange Students
- An application must be completed by the area exchange program representative and submitted to the Office of Student Leadership. The application must include a copy of the student's official transcript, translated and certified; English language proficiency documentation; immunization/health record; and a statement of return to high school in the student's home country following the exchange year of study.
- Students in the exchange program must be between ages 15 and 18½ (as of the beginning of the program) and must not have been awarded a diploma or a certificate of completion in the student's home country.
- Students must have sufficient written and oral English skills.
- Grade classification will be determined by the age of the student and the number of years of school completed in the student's home country beginning with Grade 1.
- The Coordinator of Student Conduct/Services will send an authorization for enrollment to the high school receiving the student. Enrollment will be conducted in accordance with School Board policies and regulations.
- The selection of courses will be facilitated by the appropriate school personnel. All J-1 students must be enrolled in a minimum of four academic courses, including English and social studies. The social studies course must be Virginia and United States History or Virginia and United States Government.
- A permanent record will be established for the year of attendance in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
- No diplomas will be issued to J-1 students. Those students who are placed in Grade 12 will be permitted to participate fully in commencement exercises and to be recognized with a school certificate for satisfactory attendance and participation in the school.
- The deadline for submission of the program application is set by the Office of Student Leadership and published in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Procedural Handbook for International Exchange Students. Late applications will not be processed.
- A maximum of five (5) students may be enrolled in an individual high school. However, exceptions to exceed the maximum number of international students may be granted to the Tallwood High School Global Studies and World Languages Academy upon the approval of the academy coordinator and the principal. Exceptions to out-of-zone placements will be granted to international students who attend the Global Studies and World Languages Academy. All other Out-of-Zone placement requests should be directed to the Office of Student Leadership if there are extenuating circumstances, exceptional hardship or educational reasons, as permitted by Reg. 5-14.1
- Decisions to approve or deny a request for enrollment will be made by the Coordinator of Student Conduct/Services on a rolling admissions basis.
- It is the responsibility of the area exchange program representative to notify the Office of Student Leadership within forty-eight (48) hours if an exchange student withdraws from the school division or changes host families during the school year.
- The Office of Student Leadership will advise sponsoring organizations of these regulations and will furnish students and their host families with appropriate information regarding these regulations.
- Failure to comply with these regulations will lead to the debarment of the sponsoring organization with due notice given by the Office of Student Leadership. The sponsoring organization will have ten (10) days to file a written appeal with the Director of the Office of Student Leadership, whose decision will be final.
- Applications for exchange students must be received by July 1.
- Cultural Exchange Students
Students from other countries may participate in short-term cultural exchange visitation programs approved by the Superintendent or designee for the Global Studies and World Languages Academy. Such students will not be enrolled in the school division, will not earn academic credit through the school division, and will not be entitled to enroll in the school division after completion of the visitation.
Legal Reference
Council on Standards for International Education Travel (CSIET) email: mailbox@csiet.org Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. PL82-414.
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, as amended. PL104-208.
Unity and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA Patriot Act PL 107-56, as amended).
School Board Regulation 5-14.1
Approved by Superintendent: July 16, 1991
Amended by School Board: July 3, 2001
Revised by Superintendent: March 8, 2004
Revised by Superintendent: February 23, 2005
Revised by Superintendent: March 30, 2007
Revised by Superintendent: September 28, 2011
Revised by Superintendent: March 18, 2013
Revised by Superintendent: May 22, 2015
Revised by Superintendent: July 15, 2019
Revised by Superintendent: February 28, 2022