Disbelief was all senior Natalie Vu said she could feel as she read what was supposed to be a normal email.
While sitting at the dinner table one night, Vu’s dad, Nam Vu, asked her to read his emails for him. She said she read an email from Blue Valley district office saying she could not attend Blue Valley schools anymore due to living outside of district boundaries.
Vu said she had been attending Northwest while living in her house for the past two years. She also said her family was notified after the transfer portal had closed, giving her no chance to attend Northwest.
“It felt a little bit like they were robbing me of my senior year, the most memorable year,” Vu said. “It felt really unfair, because they had told us right outside of the transfer window.”
Assistant Director of Planning and Operations Eril Pollom is responsible for enrollment forecasting, helping decide where to build new schools, how many teachers to hire and transfers.
Pollom said the Blue Valley residency policy requires students to reside in Blue Valley to enable them to enroll in schools there with the exception of open enrollment students, children of district employees or students who have moved after their junior year.
“We have allowed that because we want to be able to give people the chance to graduate with their class that they just moved after their junior year,” Pollom said.
He said these policies are in place to make sure students are receiving the resources intended for them.
“They are using our limited resources and taking time away from those who are entitled to them. The residency requirements [are] to ensure that we preserve the resources we have for the people they’re meant to be for,” Pollom said.
After hearing the news, Vu texted her boyfriend, senior James Bell, who said he was initially shocked but thought there would be a way around it. When realizing this was not possible, Bell noticed the impact the move had on Vu.
“She was really stressed out and overwhelmed. It was in such a short notice, she didn’t really know how to react,” Bell said. “There was a lot running through her head, and there’s a lot of stuff to process in a very short amount of time.”
Bell said he tried to be as supportive as possible while Vu was going through the change..
“No matter what, I’m always here for her. The distance doesn’t change that.” Bell said. “Her friends are always there for her. So is her family and I just reassure her if she ever needs anything, she can just reach out.”
Vu is now planning on attending a high school in Sarasota, Florida for her senior year. She said she is looking forward to a change of scenery but is going to miss her teachers and friends.
“They made the whole high school experience,” Vu said. “I think a huge part of high school is just finding your people and finding friends that will have your back and understand you.”
Pollom said having to leave their schools is hard on students, especially the farther along in school they are, because they’re more a part of their community.
“We very much do not like to have to require people to leave. It’s always a sad situation,” Pollom said. “Students are part of a community, and so we don’t like to have to give the bad news that you don’t live here, you’re not entitled to enroll here and you need to go to your home school.”
To avoid this problem in the future, Vu said Blue Valley should do a better job of communicating with families.
“I think they should definitely notify families as soon as possible, make it more common knowledge where district boundaries are, or the transfer process, because I didn’t know about it,” Vu said.
Pollom said this year they asked anyone newly enrolling in the district as well as 6th and 9th graders, to provide proof of residency to avoid future problems. He also said he works with families when he finds out they live outside of the district by allowing them to show proof of residency and setting a timeline for withdrawal, normally during an academic break.
