FILE: H-2.4a
PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE
PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE
The Central Community School Board is required by both Federal law and the Louisiana School Accountability Program to develop and maintain a Public School Choice policy for any school with a School Performance Score (SPS) below levels set by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). School Choice allows eligible students to transfer to an academically acceptable school. Subgroup component refers to the testing performance within a specified subgroup of students.
Once schools eligible to receive students have been identified (those schools that are labeled academically acceptable), a school-site utilization study shall be conducted as needed in all schools to determine the extent to which capacity exists to possibly accommodate students from schools offering choice, including students with special needs and/or students with disabilities.
The Superintendent and staff shall be responsible for developing and managing a School Choice Plan, which shall determine the schools to which students may transfer, which students shall have priority in transferring, and all other regulations and procedures for supervising school choice within the school district.
Notification
Notification of parents of their school choice options shall be sent as early as possible, but not later than the first day of the school year for the schools that are required to offer choice. If there are no choice options available, this information shall be included in the notification sent parents.
Eligibility of Students
All students in a school required to offer choice shall be eligible to transfer. However, the School Board shall give priority to the lowest achieving students from low-income families, as determined by the School Board.
LOUISIANA PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE
General
In
accordance with La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:4035.1, Louisiana
Public School Choice provides for the right of a parent or
legal guardians to enroll his/her child in a school other than
the school to which the child was scheduled to be enrolled, if
the school at which the child was most recently enrolled received
a School Performance Score of "D" or "F" in
the most recent school year, and the school in which the child
is seeking to be enrolled received a School Performance Score
of "A", "B" or "C" in the most recent
school year, pursuant to the state's school and district accountability
system. As La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:4035.1 provides
for certain variable eligibility criterion, any enrollment based
upon the Louisiana Public School Choice option shall be
considered an annual enrollment and shall not obligate the School
Board to allow for enrollment beyond one (1) school year.
The School Board shall define “capacity” for each school, and determine a transfer request period which shall begin no later than March first and end no earlier than March twenty-eighth, annually. Prior to the transfer request period, the School Board shall notify parents and legal guardians of students enrolled in schools that received a D or F school performance letter grade of the following:
The provisions of the Louisiana Public School Choice
policy;
Schools under the jurisdiction of the School Board that
received an A, B, or C school performance letter grade, if
any;
The process for submitting student transfer requests;
and,
The page on the Louisiana Department of Education’s website that contains school performance data.
Single Point of Contact
A
parent or guardian wishing to exercise the public school choice
option who resides and intends on continuing to reside during
the upcoming school year inside or outside of the Central Community
School District shall contact the School Board’s Supervisor of
Child Welfare and Attendance. This shall be the only
office authorized to process an application to enroll under La.
Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:4035.1.
A
birth certificate, identification and/or proof of guardianship
shall be provided at the time of application.
An
application for enrollment shall serve as consent for the School
Board to obtain the records and information necessary to determine
the eligibility/ineligibility of the student.
Applications shall be time/date stamped to establish timeliness of filing.
Verification of Initial Eligibility
Documentation
of the prior school enrollment of the student shall be provided;
such as report card or official correspondence.
The
School Board shall verify that the school in which the student
was most recently enrolled or would have otherwise attended, received
school performance letter grade of a "D" or "F".
The
parent or guardian shall identify the school for which the student
seeks enrollment, and the School Board shall verify that such
school received a letter grade of "A'', "B'', or "C"
for the most recent school year.
Eligibility shall be determined on an annual basis.
Verification of Capacity
The
primary obligation of the School Board shall be to provide for
the enrollment of students who reside within the Central Community
School District. Therefore, the School Board shall
not enroll students wishing to transfer under this policy to the
extent that such enrollment may conflict with this primary obligation.
Upon
receipt of a Louisiana Public School Choice application
for enrollment, the School Board shall verify whether the school
for which the student seeks enrollment has sufficient capacity.
The
capacity verification shall take into account grade level and
special program requirement, such as gifted and talented or special
needs and shall be made on a school-by-school basis after the
official student count on October 1 of each school year.
For
purposes of determining capacity, as determined by School Board
staffing policy, and school which has an anticipated enrollment
of greater than 80% of its optimal total student capacity, in
the grade in which the student seeks to enroll, shall be deemed
to have insufficient capacity to allow for a Louisiana Public
School Choice enrollment. Any school that has portables
or modular buildings shall be considered at capacity.
Upon
such a determination, the parent shall be advised that the school
for which enrollment is sought has insufficient capacity.
The verification of capacity shall be an annual determination for the re-enrollment of students for each subsequent year.
Excess Applications
In
the event the number of applications for enrollment exceeds the
capacity in any particular school, students enrolled in the school
for the prior year shall have preference.
If, after enrolling all prior year students, applicants exceed the remaining capacity, applicants shall be selected in order of timeliness of application until capacity is no longer available.
Athletic Eligibility
Principals and athletic directors
shall be responsible for contacting the Louisiana High School Athletic
Association (LHSAA) to determine the eligibility of the student for
participation in varsity sports. In order to participate
in varsity sports sanctioned by the LHSAA, students shall have written
approval of the LHSAA.
Transportation
Parents and guardians of
students who do not reside within the Central Community School District
shall be responsible for the transportation of students to and from
the school where the student is enrolled.
Ineligibility
A student meeting any of the following shall be ineligible to enroll as a student under the provisions of this policy:
The
student was expelled for disciplinary reasons in the current
or preceding school year;
The
student was suspended more than once in the current or preceding
school year;
The
student was involved in more than one fight or other act of
violence on school grounds or at a school sponsored event
in the preceding school year;
The
student was found in possession of any illicit drug or narcotic
on school grounds in the current or preceding school year;
The student had more than ten (10) unexcused absences during the current or preceding school year.
After enrollment, a student shall be ineligible to continue enrollment as a student under the provisions of Louisiana Public School Choice if any of the following apply:
The student is suspended more than once during the school
year;
The student is expelled for disciplinary reasons during
the school year;
The student is involved in more than one fight or other
act of violence on school grounds during the school year;
The student is found in possession of any illicit drug
or narcotic on school grounds during the school year;
The student has more than ten (10) unexcused absences during the school year.
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM OF CHOICE
For the purposes of this policy, a program of choice shall mean a public high school program that allows a student to concurrently pursue a high school diploma and one of the following:
A postsecondary degree, credential, or certificate.
A state-registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship.
A student may enroll in a program of choice offered within his/her school system, without regard to attendance zones, provided that both of the following apply:
The program of choice and the high school offering the program
have available capacity at the appropriate grade level.
The program of choice is not offered at the public high school in which the student was most recently enrolled or would otherwise attend.
Capacity for each high school and each program of shall be determined as provided above under Louisiana Public School Choice, and the transfer request period shall be the same as for Louisiana Public School Choice.
The School Board shall determine and make available the process for submitting a transfer request, admission requirements, if any, for each program of choice, and the process for requesting review by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:4035.1 of a denial of a request to transfer to a program of choice.
The School Board shall partner with local businesses and public postsecondary education institutions to grow programs of choice that are relevant to the school's local area and to the state and that lead to careers in high-demand, high-paying fields, and work to ensure that programs of choice are evenly distributed, to the greatest extent possible, among the high schools in the school system.
The authority to enroll a student in a program of choice shall not be permitted and shall not be exercised if doing so violates an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
The provisions of this policy shall not be construed as requiring a high school or a program of choice with selective admission requirements to enroll a student who does not meet the admission requirements, regardless of whether the school or program of choice has available capacity.
Revised: November 8, 2021
Revised: May 9, 2022
Revised: October 10, 2022
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:105, 17:4035.1, 17:4035.2
Louisiana School, District, and State Accountability System, Bulletin 111, Louisiana Department of Education
Board minutes, 10-27-14, 11-8-21, 5-9-22, 10-10-22
Central Community School Board