Rock Hill School Board To Review Draft Reassignment Policy

This is an example of a draft policy which will be presented to the Rock Hill School Board for review at their retreat/work session on Monday, July 13, 2009. What do you think?

Policy

Reassignment of Students JCR DRAFT

Purpose: To establish the basic structure to reassign students to schools.

In order to provide equal access to quality educational opportunities for all students, the Board is committed to providing necessary and adequate resources, to include materials, technology, and personnel, to all district schools. School assignments are made to maximize use of school facilities and support diverse populations. Students are assigned to schools within the attendance zone of their residence. The Board believes in the philosophic goal of maintaining balance within the school system, as related (Possibly: to school capacity, the number of students receiving free and/or reduced lunch supplement, student performance on state achievement test (PASS/End of Grade tests, and student proximity to the school.) Parents should not expect that their school of initial enrollment will be their child's school for all of the elementary, middle, or high school years. Should reassignment occur, the Board does make a commitment to students and parents to:

• make every effort to reassign children only once during their elementary school years
• begin the reassignment process in the fall of the year preceding implementation of a new reassignment plan

The superintendent shall prepare a report annually, to review school population in individual schools to include (the percentage of students receiving free and/or reduced lunch supplement and end of year test scores.) When a school demonstrates a marked increase or decrease (margin of 15%) of free/reduced lunch supplement population or decreased/sustained low test scores over a two year period; or should a school exceed capacity to the degree of overcrowding, the superintendent will make recommendations for reassignment of students.

The superintendent has the discretion to make minor adjustments to attendance area maps without board approval, every two years, when area boundary lines divide properties or when unforeseen factors impact a small number of households (i.e., new construction of a single family home/s contiguous to an existing neighborhood zone, transportation factors, unforeseen hazard).

The director of technology will be responsible for updating attendance area maps annually to reflect any changes in boundary maps or shifts in demographics within the map planning segments.

In the event of an emergency, the decision to redistrict a school because of extenuating circumstances will take place, as indicated by the emergency, with immediate action taken.

Attendance areas are available from the Planning Department and can be viewed on the district Web-site: http://www.rock-hill.kl2.sc.us/.

Adopted

Legal references:

A. S. C. Code, 1976, as amended:

1. Section 59-19-90(9) - Board can determine school for pupil to attend.