Contact: Jean Campbell
Contact: Sandy Schumann

Telephone: (239) 337-8348

Foreign Student Enrollment Information

The Student Services Department shall be responsible for the enforcing the following procedures regarding the admission of International and Foreign Exchange students:

(1) International Students

(a) All international (foreign born) students must notify the Student Services Department prior to enrollment and must follow the School Choice process for enrollment and school assignment.

(b) To enroll an international student in the PreK-12 program, the parent/guardian shall present a valid birth certificate or other approved substitutes found in section (1003.21 F.S.), guardianship documents, academic records, completed Florida Certificate of Immunization, proof of a physical examination within the last 12 months and proof of residency.

(c) The School District of Lee County does not issue I–20s.

(d) Upon enrollment, all students must be administered a Limited English Proficiency survey questionnaire to determine eligibility services. Students shall have access to all programs and services that all native-born students have available to them.

(e) All students identified whose primary language is a language other than English must be referred to the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program (ESOL) for English Language Proficiency Assessment and program placement as needed.

(f) International students who are not enrolled in a foreign exchange program (J–1) and who are without educational records, shall be provisionally assigned to a grade according to chronological age. The principal shall review the initial placement. If the student needs to be placed at a different level the principal shall facilitate an appropriate placement. The highest level of grade placement for students without records or transcripts translated into English shall be grade 11.

(g) Students who have received a high school diploma from their home country shall be directed to the local post-secondary institutions.

(2) Foreign Exchange Students

(a) All foreign exchange students must notify the Student Services Department prior to enrollment and must follow the School Choice process for enrollment and school assignment.

(b) Students who enroll in the Lee County Schools as foreign exchange students with the intent to obtain a Lee County Schools high school diploma must adhere to the following conditions:

1. A student must declare in writing to the Student Services Department his/her intent to obtain a standard diploma from a Lee County high school prior to beginning the registration process for enrollment.
2. The student must provide the Student Services Department with an English version of an official transcript, from an organization that transcribes the foreign credits into Carnegie units, showing courses taken and grades obtained. (Click here for list of Credential Evaluators)
3. Credits taken in a foreign country, as determined by the official transcript, shall be used as unweighted credits in determining the student’s initial grade point average (GPA).
4. The student, after enrollment, must meet all requirements including course credits, grade point average, and successful completion of State-mandated tests, for a standard diploma.
5. Foreign exchange students who intend to receive a standard diploma are eligible for local academic awards.

(c) The representatives from licensed Foreign Exchange Student Programs requesting placement of a student must secure written acceptance from the Student Services Department prior to acceptance in District schools.

(d) All Foreign Exchange Programs must be licensed through the Council on Standard for International Educational Travel before requesting placement of students in the Lee County School District.

(e) Foreign Exchange students are expected to enroll for a minimum of one semester and maximum of two semesters.

(f) A Foreign Exchange student entering a Florida school for the first time must present to the School Choice Office the general enrollment documents required by all students in addition to the Exchange Program and INS documents.

(g) Foreign Exchange students must have sufficient scholastic preparation to participate in the designated program, including knowledge of the English language.

(h) The home language survey is given to all students and shall include Foreign Exchange students.

(i) If a Foreign Exchange Student is enrolled in the District and does not demonstrate English proficiency, the District will provide ESOL services to that student for the duration of the school year. However, for the next school year, the Exchange Program may not be permitted to enroll students in the District due to violation of the English proficiency requirement.

(j) No Foreign Exchange Program may have more than three students from the same country in the same school or place more than one Foreign Exchange student per host family.

(k) If a Foreign Exchange student is externally suspended from school, a contact will be made with the Exchange Program representative regarding the discipline problem. Continued problems may result in asking the Exchange Program to place the student in a school outside of the Lee County School District.

(l) The Foreign Exchange Program must certify that financial resources are sufficient to cover all expenses for the student including funds to cover school lunches.