Admission Procedures for Foreign Exchange Students
I. Philosophy 
Chesapeake Public Schools recognizes that as the nations of the world become more interdependent, it becomes increasingly important that high school students develop a sense of global citizenship. Educational travel and exchange play an important role in this learning process.

II. Purpose 
These guidelines and procedures are established to promote rewarding cultural exchanges and to ensure that foreign exchange students in Chesapeake Public Schools adhere to local expectations.

III. Governance 
The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) was established for the specific purpose of implementing standards for international exchange and travel programs. These standards and the Council's Advisory List of International Educational Travel and Exchange Programs provide school personnel, parents, and others with valuable resources. The Advisory List is published annually and is provided to each high school guidance department.

IV. Classification of Foreign Exchange Students 
Foreign Exchange visitors/students classified as J-1 have residence in a foreign country to which they plan to return. They come temporarily to the United States as visitors/participants in a program that has been approved by the U.S. Information Agency.

V. Approval of J-1 Foreign Exchange Students 

A. Agents for approved programs (CSIET endorsed) must submit visitor/student applications to the Director of Student Services. 

Foreign Exchange Guidelines
(June 2008 Clarification)

- Agencies must apply by June 1st. 
- No more than one student per agency will be placed at one high school. This helps to make all schools accessible to all agencies. 
- Applications are date stamped and reviewed in the order in which they are received. 
- Only three foreign exchange students will be placed at a school. 
- There may be no more than two students from the same country at one school. 

Occasionally an agency will have more than one student tentatively assigned to families in one high school zone. 

- After June 1st but before July 1st there may be an exception to only one student per agency being placed at one high school. Agencies may submit additional applications to have more than one student at a particular high school. If that high school still has space available, additional students from one agency will be accepted. 

- Note: This window, June 1st to July 1st is not for agencies making application to a high school for the first time for the upcoming school year. It is strictly for those agencies that already have one student at a high school, and wish to place another at that same school. 

- Applications must include translated and certified copies of the student's transcripts with an explanation of the curriculum, appropriate medical records, immunization records, proof of host family residency, permission to participate in interscholastic athletics if desired, and appropriate insurance information. 

B. Approved exchange programs must have local (Hampton Roads area) representatives to coordinate, supervise, and monitor placement and progress of exchange students. 
C. All applicants for exchange student status must hold a J-1 exchange visitor's visa. 
D. The Director of Student Services will make a determination of placement for foreign students in collaboration with the host school principal. Schools will accept a maximum of three (3) exchange students per school year with no more than one per agency placed at each high school and no more than two (2) per country at each school. 
E. The Director of Student Services will notify agencies requesting placement of foreign students of the status of the student's acceptance within 45 calendar days of receipt of the completed application. 

VI. Procedures for J-1 Foreign Students 
A. J-1 foreign exchange students must demonstrate written and spoken English sufficient to function in regular classes without special assistance. 
B. Enrollment will be dependent upon the availability of space in each school. 
C. The host family of the foreign exchange student must reside in the city of Chesapeake, and the exchange student will attend the school which serves the zone in which the host family resides. 
D. J-1 foreign exchange students who have been awarded a diploma or a certificate of completion in the student's home country will not be enrolled in Chesapeake Public Schools. 
E. 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. 
F. Course selection will be determined by appropriate school personnel. 
G. No diplomas will be issued to J-1 foreign exchange students. Foreign exchange 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 schools. 
H. A permanent record will be created for the year of attendance in the Chesapeake Public Schools; however, no class rankings or GPA will be computed for foreign exchange students. 
I. Foreign exchange students are subject to the same policies, rules of conduct, and attendance requirements that apply to regular students. 
J. Foreign exchange students must be enrolled in an American literature course and a United States history or a United States government course (must select one). 
K. Foreign exchange students are ineligible to take driver education classes. 

VII. F-1 Students
Chesapeake Public Schools does not accept F-1 students.

Copyright 2008. Chesapeake Public Schools.