Whitmore Lake Public Schools
Administrative Guidelines
 

5113 - ADMISSION OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATINGUNDER SCHOOLS OF CHOICE

The District agrees to consider nonresident students residing in the same intermediate school district and/or a contiguous school district located in another intermediate school district for admission under the District’s Schools of Choice Program.

Application for Admission with Limited Number of Positions
 A.By the second Friday in August, the Superintendent must provide notice to the general public that applications will be taken for a fifteen (15) day period from nonresidents residing in the same intermediate school district and/or a contiguous district located in another intermediate district for enrollment in that grade, school, or program. The public notice shall identify at least a fifteen (15) day period for accepting applications and the place and manner for submitting applications.
 B.Applications for admission from schools of choice students are to be submitted by a student's parents to the Superintendent’s office by no later than the end of the first (1st) week of school.
 C.If there are more qualified applicants than spaces available for a particular grade or program, the following selection procedure shall be used:
  1.Examine each application to make sure the students seeking admission meet any pre-requisites and other eligibility standards associated with particular courses of study.
  2.If the application is for a special education or 504 student, the IEP or 504 plan must accompany the application and be reviewed by the Special Education Director prior to any action by the Superintendent.
  3.Identify students who were suspended from their home school during the preceding two (2) school years and/or were expelled at any time from any school.
   These students may be accepted and only after the principal in whose school the student would be attending has reviewed the circumstances and given his/her approval to the enrollment.
  4.Identify any siblings of students who are attending a District school under this program. These siblings are to be enrolled prior to the random selection process.
  5.Assign a number to each application and place the numbers in a container. In the presence of at least one (1) other staff member, conduct a blind drawing of the numbers and list each number drawn in the order they are drawn. The drawing is to continue until all numbers have been drawn.
  6.Maintain all applications in numbered order so that, if an applicant who has been accepted fails to enroll by the deadline, the first unaccepted applicant is notified that his/her application has been accepted and the student may enroll.
 D.The District's regular enrollment procedure is to be followed when enrolling a schools of choice student.
 E.The District shall not discriminate against any students with disabilities (IDEA or 504). The District shall be required to provide any services or adapt any facilities for a student with disabilities in accordance with his/her IEP or 504 plan. Providing an agreement has been signed with the School District of residence for payment of unreimbursed costs.
 F.Enrollment in a program or school shall be subject to an agreement that transportation of the schools of choice student to the school or to a scheduled in-District bus stop is provided for by the student, his/her parents, or the constituent district. Exceptions to this requirement may need to be made for students with disabilities.
 G.Participation in interscholastic athletics must comply with pertinent regulations of the Michigan High School Athletic Association and any relevant league standards regarding eligibility of transfer students for participation in interscholastic athletics.
 H.The appropriate principal shall determine the awarding of transfer academic credit, academic assignment, or placement based upon completion of courses or grades in the student's home school.
 I.Upon notification of acceptance for enrollment, parents are to furnish a written statement to the principal authorizing release of all records of the nonresident student from his/her home district.

Transfer of Resident Students
 A.When a resident student is accepted for enrollment in a constituent-district's Schools of Choice program, the procedure described in AG 5130 - Withdrawal/Transfer from School is to be followed.
 B.If, during the school year, a resident student wishes to transfer back to his/her home school, the student may do so. If the student has a record of academic difficulty, the principal may wish to assess the student's current level of performance using the assessment AG 5463 as appropriate to the situation.

Application for Admission into an Unlimited Number of Programs

A. The Superintendent must provide notice to the general public that applications will be taken from nonresidents residing in the same intermediate school district, and/or a contiguous school district located in another intermediate school district. The public notice shall identify an application period of at least fifteen (15) days and the place and manner for submitting applications.

 B.Applications will be accepted until the end of the first week of school.
 C.Not later than the end of the first week of school, the District shall notify the parent or legal guardian of each applicant whether or not the applicant may enroll in the District.

Applications for Enrollment in the Second Semester

If the District determines during the first semester that it has positions available for schools of choice students for enrollment in the second semester:

 A.Not later than two (2) weeks before the end of the first semester, the District shall publish the grades, schools, and special programs for which enrollment in the second semester may be available to nonresidents residing in the same intermediate district and/or a contiguous district located in another intermediate district.
 B.During the last two (2) weeks of the first semester, the District shall accept applications from schools of choice students for enrollment for the second semester in available grades, schools, and programs.
 C.By the beginning of the second semester, the District shall determine which applications to accept and notify the parent or legal guardian of each applicant whether or not the applicant may enroll in the District for the second semester. For accepted applicants, this notification shall include the date by which the applicant must enroll and procedures for enrollment. The District shall use the procedures and preferences identified herein when considering applications for enrollment for the second semester.