18. 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 261 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 2002-2003 school year as per the attached policy.
BETHLEHEM AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT'S
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OPEN ENROLLMENT POLICY
á 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 14 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.
á 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 their regular attendance area at the time of registration.
á Building principals of the receiving and sending schools will review the requests for open enrollment assignments in or out of their buildings 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.
á 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.
á 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.
á Parents must assume full responsibility for transporting their children.
á 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.
á If a child is accepted for open enrollment and the parent decides not to open enroll, the parent must notify the open enrollment school principal to withdraw the child's name from the rolls by Friday, August 16, 2002. Failure to notify the principal by this date may result in the child's assignment to the open enrollment school.
The administration's recommendations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 were considered together.