Iowa Department of Education

Answer:
The superintendent of the receiving district may approve an open enrollment request if the request is timely filed and if the district’s school board allows the superintendent to take this action without formal board approval. If the resident district has a desegregation plan that would be adversely affected by an open enrollment into or out of the district, the superintendent may deny the request. All other denials must be done by receiving district's board action. All other action to approve or deny an open enrollment request, regardless of when filed, is taken solely by the board of the "receiving" district with the exception that late-filed applications that allege pervasive harassment or a severe health need must be filed with and acted on by "both" the resident and receiving districts.