§923 Space-available enrollment of students; tuition

Summary

The Director can let a child who normally cannot attend a Defense Dependents’ Education System school enroll if there is room and the rules allow it. If a child is allowed in, they usually must pay tuition set by the Secretary of Defense. That tuition must be at least enough to cover the average cost of those extra students. The money goes back to the school system to help pay for those students. The Secretary of Defense can write rules saying which groups of children may enroll when there is space, set enrollment priorities, and sometimes waive tuition. The Secretary must treat two specific groups of reserve members’ children the same for tuition or waivers: (1) children whose parent was ordered to active duty under 10 U.S.C. 12301 or 12302 from inside the United States (except Alaska or Hawaii) and is now serving outside the United States or in Alaska or Hawaii, and (2) children whose parent was ordered to active duty under 10 U.S.C. 12301 or 12302 from outside the United States (or in Alaska or Hawaii) and is serving outside the United States or in Alaska or Hawaii. The Secretary may also allow these children to enroll when space is available: children of U.S. officers and employees stationed overseas (but not civilian sponsors under 20 U.S.C. 932(2)), children of contractors working for the U.S. overseas, other U.S. citizens or foreign nationals if it is in the national interest, and children of American Red Cross employees who work full time for the military and live where a school supports the area. The Secretary cannot waive tuition for those groups.