Rutherford County Schools using ‘Welcome Centers’ to ease enrollment process

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Back-to-school time is now under a month away for students at Rutherford County Schools (RCS), and the district has implemented a way to help with enrollment.

Whether returning or new, every RCS student must enroll for the 2024-25 school year.

“We know sometimes that enrollment can be a very difficult process,” said Meagan Turnbow, ESL Coordinator for RCS. “I’m a parent myself and there are times when I need help.”

Over the last year, RCS staff has been brainstorming ways to ease the enrollment process for parents. They came up with ‘Welcome Centers’ which offer anyone to come in person to get assistance signing their child up for school.

“It’s great to have because we’re always trying to be better with our customer service with our families,” Turnbow said. “We want enrollment to be an easy process for our families. It’s the first interaction that they have with our school system, and we want it to be positive.”

RCS has four different sites to get this support from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. through Friday, July 19:

• Blackman High School (3956 Blaze Drive., Murfreesboro)
• ESL Center (302 Walnut St., Smyrna)
• LaVergne High School (250 Wolverine Trail, La Vergne)
• Siegel Middle School (355 W. Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro)

The recommended documents to bring for registration are:

• Birth certificate or other official record of birth (TN birth certificates can be obtained by calling the Rutherford County Health Department at 615-898-7880)
• Tennessee Department of Health Certificate of Immunization
• Proof of Residency
• Current proof of custody of the child if parents are divorced, separated or unmarried
• A copy of the student’s high school transcript (if applicable)

Translators are available at every ‘Welcome Center’ to assist with the process.

“Every year, we have more and more families that want to come in person and do enrollments,” Turnbow said. “That’s for many reasons. Sometimes it’s a lack of technology at home, sometimes there’s a language barrier and sometimes people would just rather do something like this face-to-face and know that they’ve done it correctly and can check that box off.”

Turnbow said it helps both parents and schools to have students enroll sooner rather than later.

“If everyone waits until the last minute to get enrollment completed, we will not be as prepared as we want to be,” Turnbow said. “It helps you as a family to get it off your list, and it helps our schools be more prepared to open.”

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After the ‘Welcome Centers’ close on July 19, parents can still get help in person at their child’s respective school on weekdays before August 7.

For more information, visit the district’s website .

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