Registration

Step 1:

Parents will receive ActiveCodes via email beginning July 3, 2024. Parents should complete the online registration prior to arriving at the school for designated in-person registration dates. *Please see the final in-person registration dates below:
 

(Final) Phase of 24-25sy Registration	July 18-19, 2024
July 18, 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.	In-person school registration
July 19, 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.	In-person school registration

Step 2: 

If parents have not elected to upload their two proofs of residency into the SAM7 online portal, they may bring two proofs of residency to their student’s school located in their attendance center for the 2024-2025 school year during the designated in-person registration times, which are listed above.

Compulsory School Age Attendance: 

If a compulsory-school-aged child has not been enrolled in the school which the child is eligible to attend within fifteen (15) calendar days after the first day of the school year, the school district shall report within two (2) school days or within five (5) calendar days, whichever is less, such absences to the school attendance officer.

Compulsory School Age Child: 

A child who has attained or will attain the age of six (6) years on or before September 1 of the calendar year and who has not attained the age of seventeen (17) years on or before the September 1 calendar year.

Age of Entrance: To enter kindergarten, the student must be five (5) on or before September 1st. To enter first grade, the student must be (six) 6 on or before September 1st.

Students will not be enrolled until the following requirements have been met:

1. Students will be enrolled in the Jackson County School District only if they are residing with their legal guardian and said guardian resides within the Jackson County School District. “The district will not recognize or accept guardianship papers for health and school purposes only. Partial guardianship of a student by a resident within the district will not be recognized as meeting full legal guardianship.” (Policy JBC)
2. Birth Certificate: According to State Law, an original or certified copy of a birth certificate is required upon registration. This certificate must be examined and recorded on school records before any student may be officially enrolled in school. Each student must have this information on file prior to the first day of school.
3. A student shall present a withdrawal form from the school from which he/she is transferring (to include discipline record, grades, and attendance).
4. Proof of Immunization: A certificate of compliance shall be presented to the school when a child initially enters the school upon registration. This certificate shall be issued by the local health officer or physician on forms specified by the Mississippi State Board of Health. Effective August 1, 2007, children entering school for the first time will be required to have two doses of the Varicella Vaccine (chicken pox) or a history of chicken pox. All students entering, advancing, or transferring into 7th grade will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough (pertussis) booster, aka Tdap vaccine, before entry into school in the fall. Tdap vaccine given on or after the 7th birthday meets the new school requirement. a. If a child offers to enroll at a school without having completed the required vaccinations: (1) The local health officer (not school official) may grant a period of time up to 90 days for such completion. No child shall be enrolled without having at least one dose of each specified vaccine. (2) Any child not in compliance at the end of 90 days from the opening of school must be suspended until he/she is in compliance unless the health officer attributes the delay to the lack of supply of the vaccine. b. Exception: Reason must be verified by a duly-licensed physician to the local health officer. The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that religious exemptions are not acceptable.
5. A student’s records from his/her school of last attendance must be received within a reasonable period of time. If the records are not received within a reasonable time, the student will be asked to withdraw until the records are received.
6. A student who has been suspended or expelled from another school district may not be allowed to enroll.
7. Students not meeting the residency requirements will be withdrawn from school immediately.
8. Parents shall inform the school immediately of any change of address/telephone number of persons authorized to sign-out students that is different from that listed during registration.
9. At the beginning of school, each parent/guardian will fill out and sign the student emergency/service card. In order to register your child, you will need the following: (excerpt from Policy JBC)

*NEW* Proof of Residence Requirement

The parent or legal guardian of students attending schools of the Jackson County School District will be required to show proof of residence as required by the Mississippi State Board of Education in the following manner: 

Procedure I 

Definition of residence for school attendance purposes: 
The student physically resides full time, weekdays/nights and weekends, with the parent or guardian, at a place of abode located within the limits of the school district. 

1. All schools will require students who are seeking to enroll in the school district to register at the school they are assigned to attend. If registering at the beginning of the school year, parents may submit residency documentation during the days and times designated for Residency Verification. Appointments will be made for parents who need to verify residency at any other time. The school district shall verify the residency of each student.
2. Any new student enrolling or entering the school district or any continuing students whose residence has changed will be required to verify their residence address as herein provided as a part of the registration process. New enrollees to the district will register by appointment as set by the school.
3. The parents or guardians of continuing students whose residency has not changed shall provide proof of residency in person at a time designated by the District. All students, continuing and new to the district must register using the District’s Online Registration Process. 

Procedure II

Each new student or student whose residence has changed must establish his or her residency in the following manner: 

STUDENTS LIVING with PARENTS or GUARDIAN

The parent or legal guardian of a student seeking to enroll must provide the school district with at least two of the items listed below as verification of their address. 

No documents with a post office box as an address will be accepted. 

At least one (1) from the following list displaying proper name and address: 

1. Filed Homestead Exemption Application Form
2. Mortgage Statement or property deed; No property tax documents
3. Signed current apartment or home lease (all pages)
4. Current Utility bills; (Per MDE, NO cut-off or disconnect notices); No car/home insurance statements; no cell phone bills; no hunting licenses; Bill must be current, within 30 days of date of registration

AND 

One (1) document from the following list displaying proper name and address:

1. Driver’s license or Mississippi State-Issued Identification Card; (Must show current address)
2. Automobile registration; (Must be current year’s registration, not expired)
3. Voter registration card
4. Government mailing (Federal, state, or county) within the last 30 days
5. Any other document that will objectively and unequivocally establish the Parent or Guardian resides within the school district-must be approved by an administrator.

Court papers: 

If one is the legal guardian of the student, he/she must also provide a copy of the court order signed by a judge appointing him/her as guardian. Any changes in custody must be given to the school in the form of a legal document signed by a judge. If a parent/guardian fails to provide the necessary documentation, his/her children will not be allowed to attend schools in the Jackson County School District. No temporary enrollment will be processed.

NOTE: 

Any legal guardianship formed for the purpose of establishing residency for school district purposes shall not be recognized by the Board. (Legal reference: Mississippi Code Ann. Section 37-15-31, 1989 Supplement.) If a parent or guardian fails to provide the necessary documentation, his/her children will not be allowed to attend schools in the School District. No temporary enrollment will be processed. If the Jackson County School District receives a complaint regarding the residence of a student, the district is required to take action to further verify residence, including but not limited to follow-up visits to the resident's address by school officials. See JCSD School Board Policies JAB and JBC.