Reassignment Guidelines

Guidelines for Student Reassignment

Document Link:  printable version Guidelines for Student Reassignment and in Spanish here

Introduction to Student Reassignment:

 Compliance

Student Reassignment Applications will be made and acted upon in accordance with Federal Legislation, Georgia Statutes, Georgia State Board of Education Rules, as well as Cherokee County School Board Policy and Administrative Guidelines.

Reporting and Monitoring

In as much as the Cherokee County School District is committed to ensuring equal access and promoting diversity, it shall analyze annually and maintain records regarding:

•      The characteristics of students applying for and receiving reassignments by sending and receiving schools.

•      The effect of reassignments on the diversity of sending and receiving schools.

•      All documents of reassignment enrollments that are reported to the affected Principals.

Administrative Components of Reassignments:

 Student/Parent Accountability

Acceptable behavior, attendance, grades and a cooperative/productive relationship between home and school must be maintained in order for approved reassignments to remain valid. Students of employees must meet these same requirements.

Transportation Services

The parent/guardian is obligated to provide transportation for students attending a school on reassignment. This would include transportation to any daycare facility.

Athletic/Activity Eligibility

All reassignments are considered a permissive transfer per Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Guidelines (permissive transfer does not carry eligibility). As such, if a student reassignment is granted during the school year and/or for the following school year, the student will be ineligible for Varsity-level athletics at the reassigned school for a twelve-month period. For questions on athletic eligibility, please contact your reassigned school Athletic Director.

Applications

Annually, families may submit school of choice/reassignment applications between February 1 and March 1 using Droplet. Applications submitted during this window are automatically routed to the school for initial review and required signatures, then forwarded to the Office of School Leadership and Operations for final consideration. After March 1, applications are only reviewed if they qualify as a hardship. These requests must also be submitted using Droplet and follow the same review process. After the district’s decision is finalized, families will receive an official letter in the mail with the outcome.

Application Review and Parent/School Notification

The Office of School Leadership and Operations will review all Reassignment Applications based upon the provisions of Policy, will render a decision on the parents’ request and notify parents/guardians and the sending and receiving schools of the decision.

Any student currently receiving any special education services, and requesting reassignment, must have that request reviewed by the Department of Special Education, as well as the Principals of the sending and receiving schools.

Length of Reassignment

Once a reassignment is granted to a student for a given school, the reassignment remains effective through the highest grade of the school as long as the student remains in good standing. The student is not required to re- submit a Reassignment Application on an annual basis.

Portability of Reassignment

Reassignments cannot be transferred from school to school. In the case of a student matriculating from one school to another (i.e., promoted from elementary school to middle school, promoted from middle school to high school) a new Reassignment Application must be submitted for approval.

Review of Standing Reassignments

The Office of School Leadership and Operations will review all previously requested and approved reassignments as part of the School District’s Annual Boundary Process to determine the advisability of their continuation. Where changes in this regard are deemed in the best interest of the School District, the Superintendent will include these recommendations within the annual boundary proposals.

The Four Types of Student Reassignment:

The Superintendent (or designee) may approve student reassignment requests for a variety of family circumstances or educational reasons. Parents/guardians must indicate such circumstance or educational reason for a reassignment through the School District application process.

1.  School Choice/Open School Reassignment for Special Needs Students (Statutorily-determined by SB10, 2006) “Special Needs” transfers allow students currently receiving Special Education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to seek enrollment transfers to schools that (a) offer commensurate services, (b) are in an “Open Status” because enrollment at these schools are below capacity and (c) have space available within the grade requested.

2.  School Choice/Open School Reassignment for Non-Special Needs Students (Statutorily-determined by HB251, 2009)

Student reassignments allow other Non-Special Education students to seek enrollment reassignment to schools that are in an “Open Status” because these schools (a) are below the facilities enrollment capacity and (b) have space available within the grade requested.

3.  Reassignment for Curricular Programs

School Board Policy AD permits students to petition the Superintendent for consideration for transfer to a school which offers a specific curricular program of study not available at the school to which the student is zoned within the School District’s Annual Boundary Process.

4.  Hardship Reassignment

Hardship reassignments allow students, because of hardship or statutory provisions, to seek transfers to schools that are potentially in a “Closed Status” because they had been determined to be at- or over-capacity. These provisions include:

a)        A documented medical, emotional or psychological reason (CCSD Medical or Psychological Hardship Form for documenting this hardship is required)

b)       Student is in the highest-grade level in their school when a move has taken place

c)        Student displacement resulting from an intervention by a government agency (i.e., DFCS, DJJ, etc.)

d)       An elementary school is located in close proximity to the parents’ workplace or a daycare used by the family and a hardship condition exists (Note: If daycare is the catalyst for a hardship request, the requesting parent must ensure the daycare provider can provide the necessary transportation to/from school—reassigned students are not eligible for transportation.)

e)        A child of a school system employee desiring to attend the school where the parent works (provided through GA Code § 20-2-293). Relative to children of school system employees, these same provisions apply. A school system employee may enroll their children in schools located within the school Innovation Zone for which they are employed, except in cases where student enrollment exceeds capacity.

Determination of School Capacity:

Timeline for Determining Capacity

Following completion of the School District’s Annual Boundary Process, the capacity for each school in the School District to accept student reassignments will be determined and a corresponding list developed of school status classifications. (Note: School capacity will be determined in accordance with applicable State Board Rules and School District Protocol)

Process for Determining Capacity

In determining capacity at each of the School District’s schools, the Office of Planning and Forecasting will begin determining capacity with the State’s Instructional Unit (IU) formula at each school. In addition to this baseline data, the Office of Planning and Forecasting will also consider other factors that could increase or decrease capacity at each school. These factors may include, but not be limited to, some of the following related to the impact on each building’s permanent classroom capacity:

·         Additional space needed for programs that negatively impact capacity (e.g., smaller-capped classrooms— self-contained Special Education, EIP, REP)

·         Additional space needed for district-based centers/classrooms that negatively impact capacity (e.g., Placement of Pre-K Centers on an Elementary School Campus)

·         Short- and Long-Term Strategic Planning that positively or negatively impacts capacity (i.e., changes in boundaries, reduction of space due to a variety of factors, increase of space due to pending development, etc.)

School Status Determination

1.   Schools with an “Open” Status

These schools are OPEN for consideration on all (a) reassignment requests and/or (b) hardship reassignment because student enrollment is at or below a 95% level relative to the designed capacity of the facility.

However, because of mitigating factors, which include, but are not limited to, issues of strict classroom size limits, increased student enrollment, and planned changes to school facilities and attendance boundaries, all requests for reassignments for schools with this classification will be closely examined relative to requested grade/class/course prior to approval of the reassignment.

2.   Schools with a “Closed” Status

These schools are CLOSED for consideration on reassignment requests because student enrollment meets or exceeds a 95% level relative to the designed capacity of the facility or due to overall enrollment size; the School District reserves the right to restrict reassignments in order to not compromise the quality of the curriculum programs or safe operations.

However, hardship reassignments, as defined by the School District, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Within this consideration, an approval of a hardship reassignment request cannot exacerbate overcrowding in the requested school, grade, class or course.

Maintaining Reassignment Guidelines

Document Link:  printable version Maintaining Reassignment Guidelines and in Spanish here

These Guidelines reflect the district's commitment to effective governance, academic excellence, and supported accountability, as outlined in Policy BAB and the Board's key priorities.

Student/Parent Accountability	Maintaining Reassignment Guidelines
Attendance	Minimum Attendance: Students must maintain at least 95% attendance. Unexcused Tardies: A student who accumulates unexcused tardies totaling 10% or more of their enrolled instructional time-school arrival or individual classes will be subject to review by the Principal and the Attendance Review Team (ART). Truancy Threshold: A student accumulating 5 or more unexcused absences or 10 cumulative absences in a school year will be subject to review by the Principal and the ART.  The reassignment may be revoked. Failure to Adhere to Attendance Contracts: Students placed on an attendance contract due to excessive absences or tardiness who continue to violate the agreement will be subject to review by the Principal and the ART. The reassignment may be revoked.
Behavior	Disciplinary Referrals: Students who receive multiple disciplinary referrals for disruptive or inappropriate behavior are subject to review and may result in revocation. Suspensions: Any student who is suspended for a serious offense or receives multiple suspensions within a semester will be subject to review and may result in revocation. Expulsion-Level Offenses: Any offense that results in a recommendation for expulsion will result in immediate reassignment revocation.
Grades	Minimum Academic Performance: Students must maintain passing grades and/or participate in remediation in all core subjects. Failure to Complete Work: Consistent failure to complete assignments or participate in coursework are subject to review and may result in revocation.
Parent Partnership	Communication: Parent/guardians must maintain open communication with school staff, attend required meetings, and respond to school correspondence in a timely manner. Support of School Policies: Parents must support school policies, including discipline, attendance, and academic expectations. Resolution of Issues: If ongoing conflicts between parents and school staff disrupt the educational environment or remain unresolved despite intervention, reassignment may be revoked.

All reassignments may be reviewed annually in accordance with the above expectations.  Schools are responsible for recommending revocations to the Office of School Leadership and Operations.  Final determination of revocation is made by the Chief of School Leadership and Operations.