Shirley couple: District won't allow exchange student from Denmark

A Shirley couple trying to bring an exchange student from Denmark to their home says the school district is shutting out the student.
Holly Kix moved into a four-bedroom home in Shirley with her husband a few years ago. They wanted the extra space for children, but Kix found out that she cannot have kids.
Last summer, she started the process of hosting a foreign exchange student and picked a 16-year-old girl from Denmark.
"Something about her just clicked with me," Kix says. "We have things in common, we have the same hobbies, the same passions. She even has things in common with my husband."
Everything seemed set to move forward, but Kix still needed a signature from the district signaling that it was on board so the student could enroll. But that's when Kix started running into problems.
The William Floyd School District sent Kix a letter saying it does not currently have a foreign exchange program and will not admit the student next school year.
"As we strive to rebuild and restore many of the programs and offerings that were lost during the recession, we believe that adding this expense is not the responsible thing to do for our residents," a district spokesperson told News 12 in a statement.
Kix, however,  says the denial goes against the district’s policy manual, which states otherwise.
"It says as long as a foreign exchange student is coming through a recognized agency that they can attend free of tuition," Kix says.
Kix has since written the district trying to find a solution, including asking how much it would cost, but she says she is not getting answers.
A district spokesperson says the Board of Education will be clarifying its foreign exchange students policy in the near future.