Appellants reside in Blairsburg in the District, where Catherine is in 8th grade. Mrs. Nibe works for the District, but is leaving at the end of the 1997-98 school year. Appellants would like Catherine to attend all 4 years of high school at the same school. They want her to transfer this year, at the beginning of the 1998-99 school year, so she can be eligible to participate in sports. Appellants filed their open enrollment request in March, after they found out Mrs. Nibe would be leaving the District at the end of the year.

The Principal testified that the District has denied all late filed open enrollment applications for the past four years. The Board has an open enrollment policy which it follows. Appellants want to open enroll their daughter for a number of reasons. While they may be good reasons, they do not constitute "good cause" for filing late.

In this case, as in others, we are not critical of the Appellants' reasons for wanting open enrollment. However, the reasons given do not meet the statutory definition of "good cause." The Board's decision to deny the open enrollment was consistent with state law and the rules of the Department of Education.

That the decision of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Hamilton Community School District, made on April 8, 1998, denying Appellants' open enrollment request for their daughter, Catherine, was affirmed.