Student Assignment Process Summary for 2007-08
Annually, the WCPSS Board of Education adopts a Growth Management Plan that assigns attendance areas to schools and designates magnet and calendar option schools. All guidelines and procedures developed for implementation of the plan are based upon the following:
- Maintaining efficient use of facilities and providing appropriate space for successful teaching and learning;
- Providing options that allow parents to request assignments that best meet the needs of their families;
- Assigning appropriate and reasonably diverse student populations to all schools.
(Note: In this document the term parents always refers to either the biological parent(s) or the court-appointed custodian(s) of the student.)
Each student in the Wake County Public School System is initially assigned to a "base" school that serves his/her grade level. The base school assignment serves the attendance area in which that student's parent is domiciled. While a family may own or rent several houses or apartments, the "domicile" is the primary residence of the parents.
Each year, during an application period designated by the Board of Education, parents have the option of applying for placement of their child in magnet programs or a calendar option school serving their attendance area. If a student is placed in a magnet or calendar option school, that school becomes the assigned school for that student.
Official notice of school assignment for the subsequent school year is sent to the parents of all students in May of each year. Within ten days after receipt of official notice, a parent may apply for a transfer of assignment to a different school. The Office of Growth Management evaluates transfer applications using criteria listed below in sections 9 and 10.
Student Assignment Procedures
Attendance Areas
A base attendance area is established for each school within WCPSS. Magnet or calendar option schools have limited base attendance areas in order to allow room for application students. The boundaries for attendance areas are established by the WCPSS Office of Growth Management and are approved by the Board of Education. Maps showing boundaries are available for public viewing in the Office of Growth Management and on the school district website via the Student Assignment Locator or the School Directory (click Student Assignment Information on a school information page) .
Assignment of Students
As stated above, each student whose parent is domiciled within any attendance area is assigned to the school of his/her grade serving that attendance area. Official assignment of currently enrolled or pre- registered students is provided in May of each year. In the case of a student enrolled during the school year, notice of assignment may be given by any means that will ensure the delivery of written notice to the parent.
Application and Assignment to a Magnet/Calendar Option School
Any student enrolled in WCPSS or registered to attend WCPSS is eligible to apply for placement into one of the magnet educational programs or into a calendar option school during the annual application process. Placement into a magnet program or a calendar option school is determined by the Magnet/Calendar Option Application and admission procedures approved by the WCPSS Board of Education. Information about magnet schools is on the Magnet Resource Center.
School Assignment is Effective for the Entire School Year
Students enrolled in any school after original assignment or by transfer after original assignment shall remain in the school for the school year. No transfer will be permitted after the transfer application period (see "Requesting a Transfer..." below) or during the school year except for a change of a parent's domicile from one attendance area to another or for extraordinary or unusual reasons.
Impact of Retention on School Assignment
In the event a student is retained in his/her grade level at the end of the school year, notice of reassignment may be given by noting the assignment on the report card of the student or by any other means that will ensure the delivery of written notice of reassignment to the parent. This reassignment shall supersede the assignment made prior to the decision to retain the student. A request for transfer to a school other than the school to which the student was reassigned must follow the procedures described below in "Requesting a Transfer...".
Impact of Special Education Needs
If the special needs of a student identified in an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) requires placement in a program housed in a school other than the base school, students shall be assigned by the Board of Education to the appropriate school based upon the proximity of the parent's domicile to the needed program and according to the extent that facilities and accommodations of the schools will permit.
Services, Facilities, Activities, and Programs
All school-related services, facilities, activities, and programs shall be available to all students without regard to sex, race, color, or national origin.
Transfer Requests
Requesting a Transfer to a School Other Than the One Assigned
After receipt of the official school assignment in May, the parents of any student may apply for a transfer of that student to any school serving his/her grade. The Request for Transfer form is available at all schools, the Central Office Customer Service Desk, and on the school district website Forms Resource Center.
he request must be submitted within ten business days of receiving the official school assignment which is typically sent home on May 15th. The specific reasons for requesting a transfer must be stated by the parents on, or attached to, the request form. The administrative staff of the WCPSS Growth Management Office reviews the initial request for transfer and is bound by provisions of Board Policy 6203. Building capacity, classroom capacity, and diversity in all schools are factors considered when deciding whether to approve or deny a request for transfer.
Requests for transfer filed more than ten days after the date of the original receipt of assignment will be denied, except for extraordinary or unusual reasons. Reassignment that is based upon approval of a voluntary request for transfer results in the waiver of the school system's requirement to provide transportation and the parent assumes responsibility for transporting the student to and from school.
Reasons Why Transfer Requests May Be Approved
Board Policy 6203 permits the administration to approve a transfer when the request:
- will improve school utilization and contribute to greater socioeconomic and achievement diversity;
- is based on a need for before and after-school care for students in kindergarten through fifth grade (Note that parents may be asked to show evidence that no other options are available to them);
- is for a high school student who desires a course of study not covering objectives offered by the base school serving his/her attendance area;
- is based upon the health of a student who is severely physically handicapped or who has a serious emotional problem that would make the transfer to another school more appropriate than the original assignment;
- is based upon the employment of the parent at the requested school;
- is based upon a desire to return to a base school rather than continue at the magnet or calendar option school indicated on the official school assignment form. (Requests to return to base from magnet or calendar option schools or from a previously approved transfer must be submitted prior to June 1st of each year.)
Reasons Why Transfer Requests May Be Denied
Board Policy 6203 permits the administration to deny a request for transfer when the request:
- is filed more than ten days after the date of the original receipt of assignment;
- asks for placement in a magnet school but classes at the school are full and priority applicants have not all been placed;
- will contravene (go against) the intent of the Board of Education's current Growth Management Plan;
- is based upon a disagreement with school staff regarding school decisions such as grades, homework, discipline, retention, or class assignment.
Appealing Denial Of A Transfer Request
If a transfer request is submitted within the ten-day time limit and is denied by the administration, the parent may appeal that decision to the Board of Education within five days of receipt of the notice of denial.
When the appeal is received by the Office of Growth Management, an appointment to meet with two members of the Board of Education will be scheduled. The parent will have two minutes to present the appeal to the two members of the Board in a private setting, after which the appeal will be discussed and voted upon by a quorum of the Board. The decision of the Board of Education is final and there is no further appeal.
Additional information regarding the assignment of students to schools can be found on this website or by calling 850-1921.