Admission of Foreign Exchange Students
1. Foreign Exchange Students (F-1 Status Visa) The Granite School District is not a designated district in the State of Utah to issue I-20’s (F-1 visa) and does not place F-1 status foreign exchange students.
2. Tourist or Visitor Visa. As per state law, the district does not admit foreign students who are temporarily in the country on a tourist or visitor visa.
3. Children of Parents who reside in the country while on a work or educational Visa. Students whose parents or guardians reside in the country on a work or educational visa may be admitted to a district school.
4. Foreign Exchange Students (J-1 Visa). Foreign exchange students seeking admission to the Granite School District on a J-1 visa must be sponsored by a district-approved foreign exchange agency or program in coordination with the Department of Prevention and Student Placement according to board policy and procedures. Students are issued a J-1 Visa by the U.S. Department of Immigration. A “J-1 foreign exchange student” is a foreign national secondary student who has entered the United States for up to ONE YEAR for a cultural and educational experience, and whose placement is approved by the Granite School District Board of Education.
5. The Utah State Board of Education determines how many Foreign Exchange students are placed annually based on availability of space and legislative resources.
6. The district will accept Foreign Exchange students from agencies and programs that meet the following requirements:
(a) The agency or program has been evaluated and approved by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET), and
(b) The agency or program has completed the district’s required sworn affidavit of assurances as prescribed in state law and board policy which states the agency has complied with the following: a household study, including a background check of all adult residents in each household where an exchange student is to reside; a background study assures the exchange student will receive proper care and supervision in a safe environment; host parents have received training appropriate to their positions, including information about enhanced criminal penalties under Utah Code Subsection 76-5-406(2)(j) for persons who are in a position of special trust; a representative of the exchange student agency will visit each student’s place of residence at least monthly during the student’s stay in Utah; the agency will cooperate with school and other public authorities to ensure that no exchange student becomes an unreasonable burden upon the district or other public agencies; each exchange student will be given, in the student’s native language, names and telephone numbers of agency representatives and others who could be called at any time if a serious problem occurs, and; alternative placements are readily available so no student is required to remain in a household if conditions appear to exist which unreasonably endanger the student’s welfare.
7. Granite School District enrolls J-1 foreign exchange students on a full one-year school basis only (no semester students will be placed). A student cannot have previously participated in an academic year or semester secondary school student exchange program in the United States. In order to qualify for placement, a student must be at least 15 years of age, but not more than 18 years and six months at the time of enrollment. NOTE: Students who have graduated from secondary school in their home country, or whose class has graduated, will not be placed in a Granite District school, regardless of age.
Students placed must be bona fide secondary students in their home country and cannot have completed more than 11 years of primary and secondary study, exclusive of kindergarten. The student’s grade placement will be at the grade level in which they would be placed had they not left their country.
Foreign Exchange students who are accepted into Granite School District do not earn a diploma and therefore should not be allowed to participate formally in the high school’s graduation ceremony.
Foreign Exchange students may be recognized by the administration at the graduation ceremony for being enrolled at the high school, but again, they should not be permitted to wear cap and gown or ‘walk’ with the graduating class.
8. The State Board of Education and Granite School District expect all foreign students to be proficient and fluent in the English language. It is not the intent, nor is it financially possible, to expend the support for ESL/ELL Services instruction for foreign students. Foreign exchange students may not be granted fee waivers or be provided transportation at district expense beyond established school bus routes.
9. J-1 FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS DO NOT QUALIFY FOR A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR ENROLLMENT IN A DRIVER’S EDUCATION CLASS.
10. Foreign Exchange Agency Information
(a) Annually, the Director of Prevention and Student Placement will submit for approval to the Board of Education a list of qualified agencies or programs seeking authorization to place J-1 exchange students in district schools. A final list of approved agencies will be made available by May 15. Board approval does not guarantee the acceptance of all foreign exchange student applications. Granite School District establishes quotas regarding the number of foreign students each secondary school may accept.
(b) Board approved agencies may then submit student applications to the Director of Prevention and Student Placement (after May 15 and no later than July 15). No applications will be accepted after the deadline. Note: The district may fill its quota before the July 15 deadline.
(c) In order to secure a school placement, the agency representative must present in person to Prevention and Student Placement (1) the student application, (2) student profile, and (3) a signed confirmation from the school boundary host family of their intent to sponsor the student in their home. Agencies will be notified as soon as possible if the student’s application is accepted or denied by the district. During the school year, if there is a need to change host families and schools, that change must be coordinated through the representative of the agency that sponsors the student and the Department of Prevention and Student Services.
(d) When an application is accepted, the district will determine where the student is placed and will coordinate the placement with the agency and the local school principal. Applications will be accepted from host families who reside within the Granite School District boundaries only. The following is an exception: up to two applications per year will be processed for host families that are residing outside of the Granite School District boundaries with the following provisions:
1. The host family must have one or more children attending Granite School District on an Open Enrollment permit.
2. Agency and host family must abide by all other established guidelines for admission of foreign exchange students.
3. The agency must provide to Granite School District, a written notification from the host family’s home boundary district which states that the home boundary district is transferring one of their foreign exchange slots (including state funding) to Granite School District.
(e) Transcript of credits, complete Utah School Immunization records, and district approval letter must be presented at the high school at the time of registration. The agency or program will provide translations of transcripts or other student documents if requested by the district before a student may be registered.
February 2020