Choice Enrollment - 3131P

Those students living within the assigned attendance area will have first attendance choice in the school. Students requesting attendance in a school under Choice Enrollment provisions will be considered on a space-available basis.

Availability of space in the school or a program will be determined by the Chief Financial Officer/designee, using the program capacity of the school and projected enrollment.  The number of spaces available for Choice Enrollment for each school or program will be published by the Chief Financial Officer/designee.

All spaces available for Choice Enrollment will be filled by public lottery.  Only resident students of the Federal Way School District will be eligible for the lottery.  A resident student is one whose residence exists within the boundaries of the Federal Way Public Schools district.

All students, resident and non-resident, must reapply for Choice Enrollment at each level of instruction.

Students who received placement through Choice Enrollment on or before April 15, 2003 are considered “grand-fathered” in their placement.

Timelines

Change of School Enrollment Application Forms for secondary students will be available at all secondary schools and the Educational Service Center (ESC) during our open enrollment between February 1 and February 28.  Change of School Enrollment Application Forms for elementary students will be available at all elementary schools and the ESC during our open enrollment between April 1 and April 30.

All Change of School Enrollment Application Forms must be date-stamped received by the Office of the Superintendent, 31405 – 18th Avenue South, Federal Way, no later than the deadline date.  The open enrollment deadline for receipt of secondary applications is February 28.  The open enrollment deadline for receipt of elementary applications is April 30. Any deadline dates or lottery dates that fall on a Saturday or Sunday will move to the following Monday.

All Change of School Enrollment Application Forms received after the applicable open enrollment deadline date will be processed as post-lottery and placed on waiting lists pending space availability.

Sibling Priority (Only available to resident students)

Resident students whose sibling(s) are currently enrolled in a Choice school will have priority through the lottery in placement including siblings of students in programs such as Special Education, Federal Way Public Academy (FWPA), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge, etc. In order to maintain a sibling priority placement in a Choice school, siblings must be enrolled and attending the Choice school at the same time. If the first placed sibling withdraws from the Choice school prior to October 15, the newly placed sibling shall lose their sibling priority placement in the Choice school and will be placed at the bottom of the school’s wait list.

Applications received from members of the same family for the same school year will be considered individually.

Lottery Process

Only resident students shall participate in the lottery process. Separate public lotteries will be held for the elementary schools, secondary schools, Federal Way Public Academy (FWPA), full-time International Baccalaureate (IB), and full time Cambridge as defined by the school. Students receiving placement in a full-time IB or full-time Cambridge program must remain full-time IB or full-time Cambridge students as defined by the school or their placement shall be revoked.  The secondary, FWPA, full-time IB, and full-time Cambridge public lotteries will be held March 15.  The elementary public lottery will be held May 15. Any deadline dates or lottery dates that fall on a Saturday or Sunday will move to the following Monday.

All public lotteries will be conducted at the Educational Service Center, 31405 – 18th Avenue South, Federal Way. 

Notification of placement status will be sent via U. S. Mail to all secondary Choice applicants by April 1 and to all elementary Choice applicants by June 1.  Notification will not be provided in person, via telephone or email.

Any deadline dates or lottery dates that fall on a Saturday or Sunday will move to the following Monday.

Post-Lottery Waiting Lists

A waiting list of all applicants not placed by the lottery process will be maintained at each individual school.  Students desiring consideration of post-lottery Choice placement should contact the school directly requesting their name be placed on the school’s waiting list. There is no sibling priority consideration on post-lottery waiting lists.  Resident parents/guardians of secondary students may contact schools beginning at the start of business on April 5. Secondary schools will not accept names for placement on their waiting list prior to the start of business on April 5.

Resident parents/guardians of elementary students may contact schools beginning the start of business on June 5. Elementary schools will not accept names for placement on their waiting list prior to the start of business on June 5.

“Waiting list” students will be contacted by the Choice school between August 25 and October 1 regarding placement opportunities if space becomes available.  Until accepted, students must remain enrolled in their residential school.

It is the district’s intent resident students attending a Choice Enrollment school shall remain at their Choice school through the school’s remaining grade levels.  However, the district reserves the right to base such final decisions on the needs of all schools in the district. At the next level of instruction (middle school, high school) students shall return to the school in their residential service area or may reapply through Choice Enrollment to attend another Choice secondary school.

Non-Resident Applicants

Non-resident applicants will not be included in the lottery.  Non-resident students shall be considered for placement in the Federal Way Public School of their choice on a post-lottery basis only. Non-resident students do not have sibling priority.

The district will accept Change of School Enrollment Application Forms from non-resident students accompanied by a Release of Attendance from the student’s resident district on the non-resident open enrollment dates outlined below. 

The Change of School Enrollment Application Form and Release of Attendance must be received by the Office of the Superintendent, Federal Way Public Schools, 31405 – 18th Avenue South, Federal Way, WA 98003.  The Office of the Superintendent shall record the date and time the complete application was received.

Non-resident applications for placement in an elementary or secondary school, FWPA, full-time IB, and full-time Cambridge as defined by the school, will only be accepted beginning 8:00 AM on August 1.

Elementary, secondary, FWPA, full-time IB and full-time Cambridge applications received prior to August 1 will be returned to the sender. Non-resident Change of School Enrollment Application Forms not accompanied by the Release of Attendance from the student’s resident district will also be returned to the sender as incomplete.

Non-resident students who completed a Change of School Enrollment Application Form accompanied by the Release of Attendance from the student’s resident district and whose complete application was received within the non-resident open enrollment timelines specified above shall be placed on the post-lottery waiting list. 

The placement of non-resident students on the waiting list shall occur after the placement of all resident students not selected through the lottery process.

Following the placement of these post-lottery resident students on the waiting list, non-resident students shall be placed on the waiting list in the order their application was received by the Office of the Superintendent.

Non-residents students accepted for placement, who applied during the non-resident open enrollment period, shall be allowed to remain at that school or in that program for the grade span of the school or the duration of the program. Non-resident students receiving placement in a full-time IB or full-time Cambridge program must remain full-time IB or full-time Cambridge students as defined by the school or their placement shall be revoked. 

Non-resident students on waiting lists will be contacted by the Choice school between August 25 and October 1 regarding placement opportunities if space becomes available. Non-resident students who have contacted the school of their choice directly and asked to be placed on the waiting list will not receive a Change of School Enrollment Form until placement is imminent. Until accepted, students must remain enrolled in their residential school.

The Board of Education shall review Policy 3131 annually and reserves the right to deny continued Choice placement to non-resident students based upon the needs of all schools and programs in the district.

Additional Considerations

The placement of all Choice Enrollment students receiving IEP services will be reviewed annually. If the Choice school can continue to provide the student’s required IEP services, the placement may continue.  However, reassignment to an alternate school within the district or return to a student’s resident district may be necessary consistent with the annual IEP review.

Students who receive a Choice placement determined by the Superintendent/designee to pursue a specific program or CTE career pathway must remain in the program or career pathway as defined by the school or their placement may be revoked.

Students who move out of a school’s service area or out of the district during a school year may continue at the school for the remainder of the current school year only, contingent upon appropriate behavior, regular school attendance, and submittal of all required paperwork.

By accepting a Choice enrollment placement a student forfeits their space in their residential service area school. Should a student desire to return to the school in their assigned attendance area after accepting a Choice placement, they MUST make application through Choice enrollment as outlined within this procedure.

Exceptions

Administrators retain the authority to transfer students as follows:

At any time during the course of the year, after all resident students participating in the Choice enrollment lottery have been placed, the principal of the receiving school may accept transfer students on a space-available basis in the order in which transfer requests are received. 

After January 1 each year, no placement commitments for the next school year will be made prior to the annual lottery selection and the resolution of all applicant placements.

All students who move after the start of the annual open enrollment period beginning of January 1 may only be accepted through the end of the current school year.  Continued attendance must be granted through the Choice Enrollment process.

Post-lottery transfers not exceeding capacity may be approved by the school principal. Transfers which exceed capacity, or discipline transfers initiated by principals may only be approved with the permission of the Deputy Superintendent or his/her designee.

The Director of Student Support Services may recommend placement in an alternate school for a special program.  The recommendation must be approved by the receiving school principal or the Superintendent or designee.

Transportation

If a Choice Enrollment request is approved, transportation to the school is the responsibility of the parent.  Limited transportation may be permitted on a space available basis on existing routes.

The district has no responsibility to alter routes or bus stops.  Students attending their resident school have priority for available space on buses.  Parents assume the responsibility for safe transportation to and from any bus stop and must comply with all conditions as outlined in RCW 28A.160.115 and WAC 392.145.020(4).

Interscholastic Eligibility – Grades 9-12, (“One-hop Rule”)

All student athletes in grades 9-12 must meet the eligibility requirements of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) and the Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS). Students may transfer high school attendance areas once, without losing their eligibility to participate in an interscholastic contest.

Athletic eligibility rules apply to all transfers.

Copies of the WIAA eligibility requirements and the FWPS Rights and Responsibilities Handbook shall be provided to each student who participates or turns out for a sport, prior to any practices.

All instances of eligibility must conform to the rules and regulations of the Federal Way Public Schools and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Appeals:

1. The student may appeal his/her eligibility to the Federal Way Public Schools Eligibility Committee by sending a written request to the Deputy Superintendent.
2. An Eligibility Committee shall be established by the Deputy Superintendent. The committee shall be composed of the following members appointed by the Deputy Superintendent
   • An Athletic Director or Activities Director from another high school or middle school;
   • A Principal from another high school or middle school; and
   • A coach from another school

The decision of the Eligibility Committee is final.

Communication

All students and parents/guardians will be notified of the Choice Enrollment policy and procedures using information distributed in all major languages and through a variety of media which may include newspapers, guidance counselors, and school newsletters.

Date:     9/11/2007