C.W., mother of Ames High School student, C.H., applied for open enrollment from the Ames CSD to the Roland-Story CSD on June 1, 2021. C.H. and C.W. are residents of the Nevada CSD and C.W. is currently open enrolled to Ames CSD. C.H. can enroll in Nevada at any time without question and without Ames CSD permission. C.W. requests Roland-Story as an alternate receiving district for C.H. C.W.'s open enrollment application was filed after the March 1, deadline due to "pervasive harassment or severe health." The application included a letter detailing the harassment directed at C.H. due to his gender and race.

Dr. Hawkins recommended to the board that this application be denied. At the school board meeting, the board discussed other open enrollment requests. Those requests were late-filed because the District had discontinued a virtual-remote option for elementary school students. C.W.'s application was not specifically discussed but the Board appeared to adopt all recommendations. After the meeting, the former superintendent completed the open enrollment form. Rather than marking the application was denied because it "does not meet criterial for pervasive harassment", he marked the application was denied because it was "filed late." C.W. pointed this out in her affidavit of appeal.

The decision by the State Board of Education affirmed the proposed decision to Reverse and Remand for further consideration.