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Hardships

The Rapides Parish School District permits parents/legal guardians to apply for in-district hardships for students to receive out-of-school zone placements due to extenuating circumstances, this does not apply to high school students or students enrolling in Pre-K. High School students may apply for Open Enrollment.

GUIDELINES 

The Hardship Committee will review the following documents and base its decision upon the information below:

  1. Parent documentation
  2. Student attendance records, including tardies and check-ins/check-outs
  3. Student behavior records
  4. Student grades
  5. Principal/administrator input
  6. School/grade enrollment capacity

HARDSHIP REQUEST PROCEDURE

Please note that Hardship Requests for the 26-27 school year will open on March 1, 2026.

Parents or guardians requesting a hardship transfer must complete the In-Parish Hardship Request Form. Upon completion, the Hardship Committee will review the information and notify the parent or guardian concerning approval or denial via the email listed on the application. The Hardship Committee meets once a month at the end of each month to review hardship requests. 

For all out-of-parish requests, please contact Jennifer Ferguson at jennifer.ferguson@rpsb.us 

IMPORTANT NOTE

If a hardship is approved, parents or guardians must provide transportation to and from school in a timely manner, and at their own expense. Hardships do not have to be renewed as long as the student remains at the requested school. If the student moves grade levels that require the student to move to a new school, the hardship is no longer valid.

Please also note that if approved, a hardship may be revoked, which would require you to enroll your child in his/her zoned school immediately if any of the following were to occur:

  1. The student is suspended out-of- school more than twice during the school year.
  2. The student is expelled for disciplinary reasons during the school year.
  3. The student has more than 10 unexcused absences.
  4. The student has more than 5 unexcused tardies per semester.
  5. The student has more than a combination of 5 unexcused check-ins/check-outs per semester.

Hardship Request Steps

Step 1

Apply for a Hardship via the In-Parish Request Form here.

Step 2

Wait to receive the approval or denial letter from the Child Welfare & Attendance Office. Once that letter is received via the email address on the request, proceed to the next step. 

Step 3

Contact the school your student was approved to attend. Once contact has been made, fill out any additional information that the school might need.

Step 4

Finally, you will complete Annual Registration starting in mid-July.