Enrollment Notices and Policies

Home Schooler Notice. The School is a community school established under Chapter 3314 of the Revised Code. The school is a public school and students enrolled in and attending the school are required to take the proficiency tests and other examinations prescribed by law. In addition, there may be other requirements for students at the school that are prescribed by law. Students who have been excused from the compulsory attendance law for the purpose of home education as defined by the administrative code shall no longer be excused for that purpose upon their enrollment in a community school. For more information, contact school administrators or the Ohio Department of Education. Previously home–schooled students enrolling at the School will be given a diagnostic test in order to determine the appropriate grade level placement.

Eligible Students. Students residing in any school district within the State of Ohio are eligible to attend the School. The preferred entry point for enrollment in the school will be kindergarten, however, the Principal, with the approval of the Board, may admit students in any grade. Kindergarten enrollees must be five years old by September 30 of the year the student is to be admitted, or have turned five by the date established by the state to qualify for early enrollment, and successfully completed the School’s early enrollment testing. First Grade enrollees must be six years old by September 30 and have successfully completed a developmentally appropriate Kindergarten program, or have an approved waiver. Students enrolling in other grades must have evidence that they successfully completed the prior year course of study.

Compulsory Kindergarten and First Grade Admissions:

The School shall admit or evaluate children seeking admission to kindergarten in accordance with the following:

The School shall admit a child to kindergarten if the child is five years of age prior to September 30 of the year of admittance.
Notwithstanding the provisions provided below, for a child who does not meet the age requirements for mandatory admission to kindergarten, but who will be five years of age prior to the January 1 of the year in which admission is requested, the School shall evaluate the child for early admittance in accordance with this policy upon referral by the child’s parent or guardian, an educator employed by the School, a preschool educator who knows the child, or a pediatrician or psychologist who knows the child. Following such an evaluation, the Board or its designee shall make a decision as to whether to admit the child based on the child’s score on the evaluation and any other factors it deems relevant.
For purposes of this policy, the board-designated evaluation procedure will consist of a readiness test administered to a prospective kindergartner by the Board’s designee.
For a child seeking admission to kindergarten or first grade who will not be five or six years of age, respectively, prior to January 1 of the year in which admission is requested, the School shall only admit the child in accordance with its Academic Acceleration policy 2.2080.
First Grade eligibility shall be based on the admissions, promotion, and retention policies of the School.

Admission and Lottery Standards. The School is open to any individual entitled to attend school in Ohio pursuant to R.C. 3313.64 or 3313.65, except that admission may be limited to the geographic area and grade or age levels specified in the Community School Contract.

The School will not discriminate in the admission of students to the School on the basis of race, creed, color, disability, sex, intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or athletic ability, provided, however, that the School may limit admission to students identified as “at risk” in the Community School Contract. Upon admission of a student with a disability, the School will comply with all federal and state laws regarding the education of students with disabilities.

If there are more applicants than there are spaces, a lottery will be conducted in the following manner:

Each applicant will be assigned a number;
The numbers will then be drawn at random by a disinterested third party;
The first number drawn will be the first new applicant placed on a permanent waiting list and so on until all numbers are drawn;
Applicants on a permanent waiting list prior to any lottery will retain their position on the waiting list;
The school may separate the lottery and the waiting lists for each grade or age grouping;
Students attending the previous year and students who reside in the district in which the school is located will have first preference for a position;
Secondary preference may be given to siblings of existing students and students who are the children of full-time School Staff, provided the total number of students receiving this preference is less than five percent (5%) of the School’s total enrollment.

R.C. 3314.06.

See Policy 2.1070 General Notice of Non-Discrimination, Policy 2.1080 Access to Equal Educational Opportunity, Policy 2.2080 Compulsory and Early Kindergarten Admission, Policy 4.1150 Enrollment and Residency Policy, and Policy 4.1160 Tuition for Out-of-State Students

Information Required Prior to Admission. A child’s parent (custodial parent if there is a divorce decree or other court order granting a party custody), legal guardian, or other adult with legal custody of a child, may enroll a child in the School. Prior to admission the School must be provided with evidence of custody and proof of residency (POR). Appropriate POR evidence must be current (dated within 30 days of presentation) and include a street address (P.O. Box addresses are unacceptable). Examples of items that may be used to establish residency are: leases; mortgage statements; utility bills (gas, phone, electric, water/sewer); bank statements; and, rent receipts. The School may accept other documents to establish a child’s residency if the School determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such documentation is reliable, credible and relevant. (Please refer to Policy 4.1150 for additional Proof of Residency information).

In addition, a child cannot be enrolled in the School until the child’s parent or guardian has provided all of the following information and documents:

A completed application;
A completed “Emergency Contact Form,” including, address and telephone number where the parent may be reached in an emergency, or should it be necessary to confirm a child’s absence from school;
A signed authorization allowing the School to obtain records from the public or non-public school most recently attended by the child, and copies of any such records in the possession of the parent;
A certified copy of the child’s birth certificate, or, in lieu of a birth certificate, a passport, an attested transcript of the birth certificate, an attested transcript of the certificate of baptism or other religious record showing the date and place of birth of the child, an attested transcript of a hospital record showing the date and place of the child’s birth, or, a birth affidavit;
The child’s Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) number issued by the Ohio Department of Education, if available;
A certified copy of any order or decree, or any modification of such an order or decree allocating parents’ rights and responsibilities for the care of the child and designating a residential parent and legal custodian;
A complete medical report, including immunization records, signed by the child’s physician, including: evidence that the child has been immunized against mumps, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, rubeola, rubella, and varicella. [O.R.C. §3313.671]
The parent may be requested to provide the child’s Social Security Number (SSN), however, the parent must be advised that providing the SSN is optional, although it is of great assistance to the School.

Records Upon Enrollment. Newly enrolled student records:

1. Upon entry, a request for records will be made within twenty-four (24) hours from the public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school the pupil most recently attended.

a. “Entry” is defined as the beginning of learning opportunities by a student at the School.

2. If the records are not received, a second request and contact with parent and former school should be made within the first fourteen (14) days by the Principal or his/her designee.

3. If the records are not received within 14 days of the date of request, or if the pupil’s previous school indicates that it has no record of the pupil’s attendance, or if the pupil does not present any one of the following: (1) a certification of birth; (2) a passport or attested transcript of a passport filed with a registrar of passports at a point of entry of the United States showing the date and place of birth of the child; (3) an attested transcript of the certificate of birth; (4) an attested transcript of the certificate of baptism or other religious record showing the date and place of birth of the child; or (5) an attested transcript of a hospital record showing the date and place of birth of the child; (6) a birth affidavit, the Principal will contact the former school directly, then the Principal or his/her designee will notify the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction in the area where the pupil resides of this fact and of the possibility that the pupil may be a missing child.

4. The School shall not admit any student requesting admission to the School after discharge or release from the custody of the department of youth services until the School is in receipt of (1) an updated copy of the student’s academic transcript; (2) a report outlining the student’s behavior in school while in custody of the department; (3) the student’s current IEP if applicable; and (4) a summary of the institutional record of the student’s behavior.

5. The School shall not deny admission to a child who has been placed in a foster home or in a residential facility (e.g., a group home, child’s crisis care facility, children’s residential center, residential parenting facility with 24-hour care, county children’s home or district’s children’s home) if the child does not present a birth certificate, or a comparable certificate from another state or country, or another document specifically listed above in (3) to attest to the child’s date and place of birth upon registration for admission. Required documentation must be presented within 90 days of the child’s initial entry into the School. If the required records are not produced within 90 days of enrollment the Principal or his/her designee will notify the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction in the area where the pupil resides of this fact and of the possibility that the pupil may be a missing child. A student under the care of a domestic violence shelter at the time of initial enrollment shall notify the School of that fact, and the School shall inform the school from which it requests the pupil’s records of that fact.

6. In the event that an order or decree is issued allocating or modifying an allocation of parental rights and designating a residential parent, or that a grandparent power of attorney or caretaker authorization affidavit is executed, that residential parent or grandparent shall provide the School with a complete and accurate copy of the order and any other relevant documentation.

Request for student records:

7. Upon receipt of a request for student records, the School will comply within two (2) business days.

8. Copies of the student’s records will be made and kept on file. [R.C. 3313.672: O.A.C. 3301-10-01.]

Notification of Students’ District of Residence. Subsequent to enrollment of a student, the School will verify the residence address and the student’s public school district of residence will be advised that the student is enrolled at the School. For transportation purposes, the School will also notify the Transportation Department of each child’s district of residence during May of each year of the names, addresses, and other necessary data, for those students who will require transportation. The School will assist parents to ensure necessary notifications are provided to the Student’s district of residence in a timely manner.

Withdrawal. A student who fails to participate in one hundred five consecutive hours of learning opportunities without excuse prior to November 1, 2018, will be automatically withdrawn from the School. After November 1, 2018, a student fails to participate in seventy-two (72) consecutive hours of learning opportunities will be automatically withdrawn, unless the student’s absence is excused. Otherwise, a parent may withdraw a student voluntarily by signing a Voluntary Withdrawal form with the Principal or his/her designee.

Whenever a student withdraws from the School voluntarily, the Principal or his/her designee shall attempt to ascertain the reason for withdrawal and shall immediately inform the Superintendent or his/her designee of the reason for the withdrawal. If the Student voluntarily withdrew from the School as a result of a change in residence, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall notify the superintendent of the district to which the Student has moved of all essential information regarding the Student, including the Student’s new address.

If the Superintendent or his/her designee becomes aware that a Student who has withdrawn from the School for reasons other than a change of residence is not enrolled in another school, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall notify the registrar of motor vehicles and the juvenile judge of the county in which the School is located of the Student’s likely violation of the State’s compulsory education laws. Notice shall be given within two weeks and shall include the Student’s name, address, date of birth, School, and the district where the Student resides. Any notice given in error shall be immediately rescinded by the Superintendent or his/her designee.