§923 Space-available Enrollment of Students; Tuition

Summary

The Director can allow a child who is not normally eligible to attend a school in the Defense Dependents’ Education System if there is room in the school. If allowed to enroll, the child must usually pay tuition set by the Secretary of Defense. That tuition cannot be less than the rate needed to cover the average cost of enrolling these children. Money collected from tuition goes to the school system to help pay those costs. The Secretary of Defense can make rules that name which groups of children can enroll when space is available, set enrollment priorities, and sometimes waive tuition for certain groups. The rules must treat two kinds of children of reserve members on active duty under section 12301 or 12302 the same: those whose parent was ordered to active duty from inside the United States (not Alaska or Hawaii) but is serving outside the United States or in Alaska or Hawaii, and those whose parent was ordered from outside the United States (or from Alaska or Hawaii) and is serving outside the United States or in Alaska or Hawaii. The Secretary may also allow children of certain U.S. officers and employees stationed overseas (except civilian sponsors under section 932(2)), contractor employees overseas, certain U.S. or foreign nationals if it is in the national interest, and full-time American Red Cross employees serving the Armed Forces to enroll, but the Secretary cannot waive tuition for these groups.