Student Services

• Indiana law IC 20-35.5, et seq., as created by SEA 217 (2018) in April 2018, states that Indiana school corporations and charter school’s reading plans must now include screening for dyslexia risk factors and indicators. If a student is determined to be at-risk for dyslexia, the school will administer an additional dyslexia screener, which will identify whether or not the student needs to be referred for further testing. It also requires schools to use specific response to intervention processes if screeners indicate certain characteristics of dyslexia are present.
• Dyslexia as defined by IC 20-18-2-3.5 is a specific learning disability that:
  • is neurological in origin and characterized by:
    • difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition; and
    • poor spelling and decoding abilities;
  • typically results from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction;
  • may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; and
  • may require the provision of special education services after an eligibility determination is made in accordance with 511 IAC 7-40.
• In accordance with IC-20-35.5-6-2, Elkhart Community Schools is identifying an authorized reading specialist trained in dyslexia.
• In accordance with this new law, each school corporation and charter school shall report on the school corporation or charter school’s website the following information: 
  • What intervention programs are used to assist students with characteristics of dyslexia? Dyslexia intervention programs must have explicit direction and instruction that is systematic, sequential, and cumulative. Instruction that follows a logical plan of presenting the alphabetic principle that targets the specific needs of the student without presuming prior skills or knowledge of the student. It must use meaning based instruction that is directed at purposeful reading and writing. Instruction that incorporates the simultaneous use of two (2) or more sensory pathways during the presentation of instruction and student practice. It is also important to keep in mind that the dyslexia program should be research based and be offered in a setting that also teaches the five (5) components of literacy.Elkhart Community Schools employs a variety of dyslexia intervention programs to meet the diverse needs of our learners, including The Reading Well, Wilson Foundations, and Read Naturally.  These methods and strategies are employed with students during Tier 1 interventions, as well as in small group instruction in Tiers 2 & 3. ECS also incorporates the use of web-based interventions through the use of Mindplay Virtual Reading Coach and the blended models of Systems 44 and Read 180 to provide multiple tiers of support to help all students achieve their learning targets. 
  • How many students received dyslexia interventions during the 2018-2019 school year? In the 2018-2019 school year, Reading Specialists provided Tier I instructional support and individual and small group interventions in the components of literacy.  A variety of interventions were used to help support students in the components of literacy.
  • How many students were identified with dyslexia during the 2018-2019 school year? Implementation of the new dyslexia law begins at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. School systems will not be diagnosing dyslexia, but will focus on finding and supporting students with characteristics of dyslexia. Required screeners, professional development, and interventions will continue to maximize learning in Elkhart Community Schools.

Please contact Rickie Meyers, Dyslexia Coordinator at (574) 262-5921 or rmeyers@elkhart.k12.in.us with any questions you may have.

Click here to visit the ​IDOE website for more information on the new Indiana dyslexia law.

• For many years, the school district has welcomed both foreign exchange students (those with a J-1 student visa) and foreign students (those with an F-1 student visa). Not only has the district been able to provide great education and experiences for these students; in turn, the students have enriched their fellow students and their teachers through sharing of the countries and cultures from which they have come.
• Foreign Exchange Students (J-1Visa)
  1. There are a number of agencies that arrange for foreign exchange students. They do so by first identifying students who are interested in studying abroad and by locating families that wish to host an exchange student. The school district is not involved in the selection of host families. Once the agency has matched a student with a host family, the agency contacts the Director of Student Servi1.   The number of exchange students per high school is to limited to six (6).
  2. The student must attend for the full year and needs to arrive prior to the start of the school year and remain until the end of the school year.
  3. The student needs to be proficient in reading and writing English, and to have the potential of becoming proficient in speaking English following a brief period of adjustment.
  4. The student’s academic schedule must include enrollment in an English class and a social studies class each semester.
     • Along with the consent of the high school principal, foreign exchange students can be considered for graduation, provided they have completed any and all requirements of the State of Indiana and the Board of School Trustees of Elkhart Community Schools
     • The district seeks to have a mix of countries, cultures, and languages represented among the collective group of foreign exchange students. Further, the district attempts to utilize a variety of foreign exchange agencies. Any agency utilized needs to have current certification by the U.S. Department of State.
• Foreign Students (F-1 Visa)
  • In order for a public or private school to enroll foreign students, the school must be approved by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), an arm of the Student and Visitor Exchange Service (SEVIS), which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Elkhart High School East and Elkhart High School West are among the very few public or private schools in the area and in the state that have received this approval.
  • It has been the history of Elkhart Community Schools that requests for acceptance of F-1 Visa foreign students almost always come from a student’s relatives who reside within the school district. Requests need to be directed to the Director of Student Services. Based on information provided by the requesting party, the director issues and signs a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status – For Academic and Language Students (form I-20). This form is provided to the requesting party to send to the student seeking enrollment. The student needs to present the form to the U.S. Consulate of jurisdiction. A student who receives an F-1 Visa must report personally to the Director of Student Services upon arrival in the community. Similarly, students with an existing F-1 Visa who are seeking to transfer to EHS East or EHS West must report directly to the Director of Student Services.
  • Federal regulations require that there can be no waiver of tuition for F-1 Visa foreign students and further require that before an I-20 form can be issued, the full amount of tuition must be paid to the school district (the district refunds this if the student is denied the visa or cancels plans to enroll). A further regulation of the federal government is that a student with an F-1 Visa is limited to one year of attendance in high school.
• Please note: students who are in grades lower than ninth grade or not eligible for either a Foreign Exchange Student Visa (J-1) or a Foreign Student Visa (F-1.)

• Both high schools and all three middle schools provide comprehensive counseling services. Counselors help students plan their programs of study and schedules, provide career counseling, assist in planning for post-secondary school opportunities, serve as a liaison between student, school and home, and provide personal counseling and crisis intervention. 
• A list of our Guidance Counselors can be found here: Guidance Counselors

• Full-time nursing services are provided in all high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. Our nurses provide a variety of services, including: attending to the health needs of children that arise during the school day; dispensing medications and providing other medical assistance as ordered by physicians and authorized by parents; providing vision, dental, and other screenings, in compliance with state law; enforcing state immunization requirements; offering instruction to supplement the regular health curriculum; and providing a variety of required trainings and screening for staff members of the district. John McClure, RN, serves as the district’s Health Services Coordinator.
• For additional information, please visit: Health Services

• Homebound education services are available to students who are unable to attend school for at least 20 school days, due to medical conditions or needs. These services need to be requested through submission of a Homebound Services Request form and completed by a school district supervisor or administrator, and attending physician, if the need is due to a medical reason.
• In Indiana, elementary students are eligible for up to twenty (20) hours of homebound instruction a month. Hours for secondary students are up to twenty (20) hours per month, per course. Laboratory (i.e., math), activity-based (i.e., physical education), and group-based (i.e., choir) classes are not available through homebound services.
• For information about Homebound Services, contact Student Services at 574-262-5547.

Elkhart Community Schools is committed to all students, including students who are homeless by the standards set forth by McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth. It is important to understand that parents and their children have rights when a child qualifies as a homeless student. Additional information can be found in the following ECS McKinney-Vento District Plan.

• ECS McKinney-Vento District Plan

Within each building at Elkhart Community Schools, the social worker serves as a homeless student liaison. This person can be contacted to ask questions about eligibility and get connected with services.

Additional information can be found on the Indiana Department of Education website, as well as the U.S. Department of Education website:

• IDOE McKinney-Vento Law
• United States Department of Education Homeless Education Law

McKinney-Vento Liaison for Elkhart Community Schools: Lindsey Brander, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, email: lbrander@elkhart.k12.in.us, phone: 574-262-5540

• The State of Indiana requires compulsory school attendance for children from age 7 until age 18. In addition to public schools and private schools, the state recognizes home schools. In Indiana, home schools are nonpublic, non-accredited schools. The parent, not the state, legally establishes the school. No state or public school permission is required. The law requires that home educators must provide an equivalent education to that of the public school, including teaching a minimum of 180 days per year. Parents may register to home school by completing paperwork in the Student Services Department or by registering with the Indiana Department of Education.
• With permission, home school students may be permitted to participate in curricular offerings of the school district, but not in extracurricular activities. Parent(s)/guardian(s) seeking such permission need to initiate the request by contacting the Director of Student Services at 574-262-5540.
• The district determines the grade placement and awarding of credit (for high school students) when a student enters the school system from a home school. Decisions are based on a variety of presenting information, and may include review of student work samples and other information supplied by the parent(s)/guardian(s), information supplied by home school agencies, use of end-of-course or other individual assessments, and review by principals and department chairpersons. The district requests advance notification when a student is entering from a home school in order to make such decisions and assure a smooth transition.
• For information about Homeschooling, contact Student Services at 574-262-5540.

• The “legal settlement” laws of Indiana determine the school corporation in which a student is entitled to attend. Generally, a student’s legal settlement is in the district where the parent(s) reside(s). By “parent,” the law means: 1) the biological or adoptive father or mother of a child; 2) the court-appointed guardian or custodian where custody of the child has been awarded in a court proceeding to someone other than the mother or father; or 3) where the parents of a child are divorced, the parent to whom the divorce decree or modification thereof awards custody or control.
• There are situations in which someone other than the parent, as defined above, is the custodian of the student and thus whose residence determines the student’s legal settlement. These include, but are not limited to the following:
• Even though a court decree awards custody to one parent, the parents can agree, outside of court, that legal settlement is with the other parent (the student needs to be living with this other parent). The parent agreement is obtained through the notarized completion of Form 1, provided by the State of Indiana. It is necessary to complete this form at the Student Services Department, J. C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, Elkhart, Indiana 46514. For inquiries, call 574-262-5540.
• If the custodial parent desires placement of the child in the school district in which the non-custodial parent resides, this arrangement needs to be made at least 14 days prior to the start of a new school year. This agreement is obtained through the notarized completion of Form 3, provided by the State of Indiana. It is necessary to complete this form at the Student Services Department, J. C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, Elkhart, Indiana 46514. For inquiries, call 574-262-5540.
• If the parents are divorced or separated and there is no custodial decree, then the legal settlement is where the parent with whom the child is living resides, either with or without agreement of both parents.
• If there has been a custodial decree, but the custodial parent has abandoned the student, then the legal settlement is with the other parent.
• If the student is being supported and cared for by a third party custodian, having been abandoned by or placed there by the parent(s), then the legal settlement is with the third party custodian. Third party custodianship is obtained through the notarized completion of Form 2, provided by the State of Indiana, and available in the Department of Student Services. It is necessary to complete this form at the Student Services Department, J. C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, Elkhart, Indiana 46514. For inquiries, call 574-262-5540.
• If the student is married, then the legal settlement is in the school corporation where the student and the student’s spouse reside.
• If the student is emancipated, the legal settlement of the student is the student’s place of residence. Emancipation of a student requires that the student:
  • Furnishes his/her support from his/her own residence
  • Is not dependent in any material way on the student’s parent(s) for help
  • Files or is required by applicable law to file a separate tax return, and
  • Maintains a residence separate from that of the student’s parent(s) or
  • Has been emancipated through court order
• If the student is in foster placement, the student is entitled to attend the school corporation in which the foster parent(s) reside(s).
• Any legal guardianship or custodianship established solely for the purpose of attending school in a particular school corporation does not affect the determination of legal settlement.
• It is important to contact the Department of Student Services whenever there is a question of a student’s legal settlement.

For additional information on the ECS PACE Preschool Program, please visit the link below.

PACE Preschool Program

For additional information about the ECS School Without Walls program, please visit the link below.

School Without Walls

• Social work services are provided at all schools in Elkhart Community Schools. Additionally, full-time social work is provided for special education transition.
• Social workers provide a number of services including individual and group counseling, attendance monitoring, helping families connect with needed community services, helping parents complete social-developmental histories required when psychological testing is warranted, assisting when families are in need of food, shelter, clothing, and a variety of other activities intended to help assure that students are in school under the best circumstances for them to be successful.
• A list of our school Social Workers can be found here: Social Workers

• A student’s records are maintained in the building where he/she attends. The records of students in grades K – 8 who have left the school system are transferred and maintained in the Student Services Department, located at the J. C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road. Copies of these records are made available to the school/school system where the student currently attends and, with parent authorization, to others requesting records.
• The records of high school students who have graduated, transferred to another school system, or withdrawn from school are maintained at the high school for five years following the graduation date or date the student would have graduated. These records are then transferred to the Student Services Department where they are microfilmed and maintained.
• Requests for transcripts and other permanent records are processed by the registrar at the student’s high school (for students in high school and for five years following the date when the student graduated or would have graduated) or by the district’s registrar in the Student Services Department (for all others).
• A fee of up to $2, payable in advance, may be charged for providing copies of records. It is important to plan ahead when requesting transfers, since records need to be retrieved and there is sometimes a one or two day delay before the transcript is available.
  • For students currently in high school, the best way to obtain a transcript is to make the request directly with the building’s registrar.
  • For those no longer in high school, but who were enrolled within the previous five years, the best way to obtain a transcript is to send a written request, along with a check or money order, payable to Elkhart Community Schools, in the amount of $2. It is important to include the complete legal name under which the student was enrolled and to note the year of graduation or withdrawal. For former Central students, direct the request to: Registrar, Elkhart Central High School, 1 Blazer Boulevard, Elkhart, IN 46516. For former Memorial students, direct the request to: Registrar, Elkhart Memorial High School, 2608 California Road, Elkhart, IN 46514.
  • For current non-high school students and for those who graduated or withdrew more than five years ago, the best way to obtain a transcript is to send a written request, along with a check or money order, payable to Elkhart Community Schools, in the amount of $2. The request should be directed to: Registrar, Elkhart Community Schools, J.C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, Elkhart, IN 46514. Requests may also be made in person; however, there is generally a delay of one or two days before the transcript is ready for pick-up or mailing. Phone requests may be also be made (574/262-5541); however, the $2 fee must be received prior to pick-up or mailing of the transcript.

In-District Transfers

• The school a student attends is determined by boundaries established by policies of the Board of School Trustees. Those policies also allow for a parent to request transfer to a school outside of the established attendance area. All requests for such transfer need to be filed with the Student Services Department.
• Transfers may be granted to prevent undue personal hardship for a student or the student’s family, to allow for educational continuity in the event of a student’s and/or family’s relocation once the school year has begun, or for special circumstances or needs of the student. In addition to the presenting reason for the request, transfer decisions are based on space availability in the class(es) and program(s) of the requested school as well as the student’s past attendance and discipline history. All granted transfers are conditional upon the transferred student maintaining satisfactory attendance and behavior. It is the responsibility of the parent(s)/guardian(s) to transport a student approved for transfer to and from the receiving school. All transfers are reviewed and granted on an annual basis.
• Parent(s)/guardian(s) seeking transfer need to come to the Student Services Department, located in the J. C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, between 7:30am and 4:30pm to apply for transfer.

Non-Resident Transfers

• As defined in Board Policy JECB, a “non-resident student” is a student whose legal settlement is outside the boundaries of Elkhart Community Schools. The Board Policy specifies that non-residents may be accepted as students on an annual basis provided:
  1. the request is for education reasons
  2. their enrollment would not result in costs to ECS beyond state reimbursement
  3. the student is in good standing in his/her resident school corporation or other institution (private or parochial school) most recently attended
  4. no section or class will be overcrowded by the student’s attendance
  5. enrollment of the student will not adversely affect the programming of resident students
  6. no increase of staff will be required
  7. the student will accept placement in the grade and school designated by the administration
  8. parent(s), guardian(s), or custodian(s) agree to provide transportation to and from school
  9. the request is not for athletic purposes
  10. Indiana students will be given preference
• Students with legal settlement in Indiana who are approved for non-resident admission may attend without payment of transfer tuition provided their application has been received and approved on or before August 1 and then enrolled on or before the date established by the State Board of Education for the collection of the official membership count. Students with legal settlement outside of Indiana shall be charged the full cost of tuition, with payment due at the Business Office in advance of the student’s enrollment, unless an approved transfer has been issued by another school corporation.
• Parent(s)/guardian(s) seeking transfer need to come to the Student Services Department, located in the J. C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, between 7:30am and 4:30pm to apply for transfer.

How to Transfer to Elkhart Community Schools

• Parents should contact the district’s Students Services Department at 574-262-5555. They will be asked to provide a copy of the student’s attendance, academic, and disciplinary records. These can be obtained from the student’s current school. Parents will also need to sign a transfer request.
• All of these items should be delivered to the J.C. Rice Administration Building, 2720 California Road, Elkhart, IN 46514.
• Following a review of the student’s records, parents will be contacted regarding the status of the transfer request.
• Parents of transfer students will be responsible for providing transportation to and from school.

For additional information about the Teenage Parent Program (TAPP), please visit the link below.

TAPP