FILE:  JBCE

PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE

The Concordia Parish 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 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and considered in School Improvement Level II or higher.  Additionally, those Title I schools that have failed the subgroup component of the state’s accountability system for one year or are in School Improvement II or higher shall also be a part of a School Choice program.  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, 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.  Only those schools that are labeled academically acceptable shall be considered eligible to receive students.

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.

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:4035.1

Louisiana School, District, and State Accountability System, Bulletin 111, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 8-9-05

Concordia Parish School Board