SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ZONES. QUESTION? SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS based on ATTENDANCE ZONES.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ZONES

QUESTION?

SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTSbased on

ATTENDANCE ZONES

RATIONALE for CHANGE

The previous Assignment Plan “Controlled Choice”:

1) Added to the separation of families with children assigned to different schools because of their children’s different grade levels, lack of space at preferred schools, or simply because parents chose to have their children attend different schools.

2) Disintegrated the home/school connection “Sense of Community.”

3) Created a “Busing Dilemma” – Cost, complexity and inherent problems.

ATTENDANCE ZONES

• (7) ELEMENTARY ZONES

K/5 SCHOOLS K/8 SCHOOLSLawrence DonahueMcMahon SullivanMorgan Kelly

White

• (2) MIDDLE SCHOOL ZONESLynchPeck

WHY THESE ZONES?

• All schools’ projected enrollments fall within each school’s maximum capacity.

• All zones are contiguous.

• No K/8 zones overlap.

• K/5 zones and Middle School compliment each other.

7ELEMENTARY ZONES

K-5/8ATTENDANCE

ZONES7 ZONES

2MIDDLE SCHOOL

ZONES

LYNCH AND PECK

6-8ATTENDANCE

ZONES

2 ZONES

FOR EACH OF THE

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

IMPLEMENTATION

OF ATTENDANCE

ZONE PLAN

SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT

All new or re-entering students (K-8) are assigned to schools based on their designated School Attendance Zone

– This includes any student who leaves the district during the school year and re-enters; entering students with moderate special needs; all new Kindergarten students.

– After October 1st, students entering grades 6,7 and 8 are initially, assigned to the T.O.P. Program that is located within Peck Middle School.

– Students with significant special needs are assigned by the SPED Department to the school that houses the appropriate program services i.e. RISE, BIG, Latency.

5th Graders Promoted to Grade 6

• Fifth grade students may choose to attend their Attendance Zone School or one of the middle schools for grade six.

• School Assignments will be dependent on reasonable class size and space availability.

“GRANDFATHER CLAUSE”SY05/06

• The parents of students attending a school outside their Attendance Zone had the option to keep their children

at that non-attendance zone school and be responsible for their children’s transportation to and from school.

• Entering Kindergarten students could follow older siblings already attending a school outside their Attendance Zone provided:

- Parents were responsible for transportation

- Kindergarten space was available at the school

TRANSPORTATION

• The District’s bus transportation eligibility criteria remains the same for students who attend their Attendance Zone School.

• In cases where there is a question of safety for walkers to a particular school, the School Department may choose to provide bus service to these students.

TRANSFER POLICY

• There is an application process for parents who want to transfer children to their Attendance Zone School. Parents may pick up an application at the Student Assignment Office.

• Priority is given to students with siblings already at the Attendance Zone School.

• Students who move within the city during the school year may have the option of remaining at the school till the end of the school year, or transferring to their Attendance Zone School.

• Transfers requests after December will generally be discouraged.

THE APPEALS BOARD

• The Appeals Board, (parent representatives from each of the elementary and middle schools), meet throughout the school year to review and rule on special cases that warrant a student attending a school outside their attendance zone.

• There is an appeals request process. Request applications are available at the Student Assignment Office.

• Board Membership will be staggered 1 - 2 years.

HOW TO FIND OUT YOUR ZONE

• Tighe & Bond Co. has created a link that can be accessed by the general public on the Holyoke Public Schools website (www.hps.holyoke.ma.us).

• This link will allow people to type in current address and see what school Attendance Zone they live in.

• People without access to the Internet may call the Student Assignment Office or any school to find out their Attendance Zone.