RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATION - April 25, 2000

12. Elementary School Open Enrollment Policy

INFORMATION:

Since 1975, the Board of School Directors has annually approved the continuation of the
Open Enrollment Policy at the elementary school level. During the current school year,
there were initially 293 elementary students throughout the district assigned under open
enrollment.

In general, parents, students, administrators, and teachers associated with this program
are highly satisfied with its implementation. The administration believes that this unique
board policy provides helpful alternatives for parents and their children.

The final decision for approval will be based upon assessing the impact of additional
students on existing instructional program objectives and available space at the receiving
school, as well as the effect of the loss of students at the sending school.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the administration be authorized to continue open enrollment at the elementary level
for the 2000-2001 school year as per the attached policy.

• Parents may request to send their child to an elementary school other than the one that serves
  
  their regular attendance area. Requests for open enrollment must be made using a "Petition
  for Open Enrollment" form. Petitions must be submitted to the Supervisor of Child
  Accounting, 1516 Sycamore Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18017. Requests will not be
  accepted earlier than June 15 or later than August 1 for consideration in the upcoming school
  year. All requests will be processed on a first come, first served basis, but students who have
  been in a school as a result of open enrollment will be given priority.

• New open enrollment requests will be considered after requests by parents of students who
  
  were previously open enrolled in a building have been honored. When the number of new
  open enrollment requests exceeds the remaining available space and selection cannot be
  determined solely by the submission date of the request, selection will be made by a lottery.
  The acceptance of all children from a family selected by a lottery is contingent upon available
  space in the specific grade level of each child. Parents moving into the district after August 1
  but prior to the end of the first quarter may request open enrollment for their child in a school
  outside of their regular attendance area at the time of registration.

• Building principals of the receiving and sending schools will review the requests for open
  
  enrollment assignments in or out of their building as they are received and submit their
  recommendation to the supervisor of child accounting by August 7. The final decision for
  approval will be based upon the superintendent's assessment of the impact of additional
  students on existing instructional program objectives and available space at the receiving
  school, as well as the effect on the loss of students at the sending school.

• Requests for open enrollment assignments out of an elementary building will be denied when
  
  such transfers cause that building's student enrollment to fall below a limit established by the
  Board of School Directors.

• Once a student has been accepted into a building under the open enrollment option, that
  
  student will not be permitted to transfer to another building within the district at any time
  during that school year.

• Parents must assume full responsibility for transporting their children.

• Open enrollment procedures and decisions will be reviewed each year. Acceptance into a
  
  school under open enrollment will not be a guarantee that a student's entire elementary school
  career will be spent at that school.

• If the child is accepted, the parent must notify the open enrollment school principal to
  
  confirm the child's attendance in that school by Wednesday, August 16, 2000. Failure to
  notify the principal by this date may result in the child's assignment to the home school.