1. Administrator/Hearing Officer Pupil Personnel Services
School Choice
ZEENA ROSSI
Administrator/Hearing Officer
Pupil Personnel Services or

2. Begins at 7:20 am on January 5, 2017
School Choice Window:
Begins at 7:20 am on January 5, 2017
Ends at the close of the “school” business day on February 28, 2017
There are no exceptions beyond this School Choice window
Review Memo – December 1, 2016
Only School Choice (SC) forms should be available
SC forms may be picked up by parents/guardians prior to the SC application window but may not be turned in to any North East ISD (NEISD) campus until 7:20 am on January 5, 2017
All campuses must have staff available to receive SC forms at 7:20 am on January 5, 2017

3. Parents/Guardians may submit only 1 application per child
Parents/Guardians may request only 1 school which must be within North East ISD
May not request a Magnet School or specialized programs
Applications may be picked up by parents/guardians at any NEISD campus and turned in at any NEISD campus
School Choice & Employee Child Transfer – Parents/Guardians who are district employees (and meet the eligible criteria) can apply for both during the respective application windows
Do not turn down an application for any reason during the SC application window

4. Students going from ES to MS, MS to HS – must submit a new SC application
Students at a campus on SC or on the SC Wait List for the school of choice requested - do not need to reapply
Students may only be on one wait list
Please do not make the assumption that a student whose parent/guardian has applied for a school of choice will be granted. Proceed as if the student will be attending their “true” home campus based on their current address. (Ex: Class Schedules, Choice Sheets, ARDs, 504 plans)
Choice Sheets: Make sure parents/guardians understand that by completing a Class Choice Sheet for a school they want their child to attend does not substitute for a School Choice application

5. “The parents/guardians are responsible for reading and being familiar with the District School Choice Guidelines found in the Student/Parent Handbook and/or on the NEISD Student Support Services or Pupil Personnel Services websites.”
All SC applications are considered on a first-come, first-serve basis – dependent upon space availability at the requested school of choice
No provisions are made for siblings
No transportation is provided – parents/guardians are responsible for transportation
Students are not eligible for varsity competition for one calendar year – parents/guardians may contact Blossom Athletic Center (BAC) for information

6. Parents/Guardians must reside and present current Proof of Residence in North East ISD upon enrollment at the school of choice.
Review every application turned in before parents/guardians leave to verify all information is correct and the form is completed in its entirety.
Do not number the application forms.
Keep the application form intact. (Do not separate and do not give a copy to the parents/guardians.)
Hand write in blue or black ink the date and time the completed application was submitted. Do not stamp the “Date Received and Time Received.”

7. “All applications must be hand delivered to any NEISD campus by the parents/guardians and upon delivery the parents/guardians must sign a log of receipt at the campus in order for the application to be processed.”
All campuses are to use the same log in sheet. (refer to Memo dated 12/1/16)
Parents/Guardians are to sign the log only when they have turned in a completed SC form.
NEW: Pony a COPY of the log every Friday. Make sure school name is entered at the top of the log. Keep the original log on campus for future references.

8. Once the parent/guardian has signed the log, notate the date and time received on the application form. (Handwritten in blue or black ink)
**Special Note: Unfortunately some parents/guardians will try to send a form via their child. If this happens, accept the form and call the parent/guardian to inform them that the SC application will not be processed until they come in to the school to sign the log. Help the parent/guardian understand their delay will affect where their child falls regarding the first-come, first-serve basis. Document the date and time of this phone call on the application form (Ex: Call to parent on _________ at __________ - Not processed yet). Once the parent/guardian signs the school log, note the new time and date on the form. The new time and date will be the official application time received. (Ex: Parent signed school log & processed on _________ at ______).

9. All applications must be sent to PPS every Friday by pony (they may be sent more often)
Do not put other documents in the pony envelope along with SC applications (Ex: Continued Enrollments, Employee Child Transfers, etc.)
Put on the pony envelope the name of the school sending the completed applications and the name of the individual sending them.
Example: TO: PUPIL PERSONNEL
FROM: Name of the School Choice Designee &
the name of the school sending the
completed applications
s regarding address discrepancies on the SC application and what is on file at school will be sent to the SC Designee and AP(s)

10. All applications are processed through Pupil Personnel Services (PPS).
(Parents/Guardians) Revocation/Termination PRIOR to letters being sent from PPS regarding their student’s SC status
**Special Note – If a parent/guardian contacts the school to notify them, that they do not want their SC application to be processed please have the parent/guardian put this in writing via a note, fax, or . Please make sure it is dated and signed by the parent/guardian with the parent’s name and student’s name on it and the name of the school they requested for their child. Inform the parent that you will notify PPS and that they will not receive a letter regarding SC. Then fax or Zeena RossI a copy of this written notification.
A letter from PPS will be sent to parents/guardians by mail on or before the last day of May informing them of their student’s SC status.

11. SC designee will be sent a copy of the completed SC forms via pony from PPS – Keep completed SC forms on file for 5 school years or until the student has moved to the next campus level (ES to MS & MS to HS)
Do not enter any students under SC in Mainframe (Ex: SNAC Code – S see slide #20) until the parent/guardian comes in to register under SC. If the parent/guardian does not come in with a copy of the letter or form, do not turn them away. The SC designee can use the copy of the completed form they have on file as reference to know if they were approved for the transfer.
If a parent/guardian does not enroll their child at the approved school of choice, do not assume they will not be enrolling at your school on School Choice. They have the entire school year to enroll their child at the school of choice as long as they reside in NEISD and have not enrolled in another NEISD school during the school year.

12. “School Choice may be revoked by the principal during the school year for excessive absences or tardies, excessive discipline problems, major violations of the Student Code of Conduct, failing grades for the semester, or lack of parental/guardian cooperation with the school’s policies and procedures. If the School Choice transfer is revoked, the student will be returned to their home campus.”
The Principal must contact Ann McNabb to discuss revoking SC during the school year. If the revocation is approved, the Principal will need to send a letter or give a letter to the parent/guardian stating this and the reasons why. A copy of this letter will need to be sent to Zeena Rossi via fax or .
Exception: If a student’s SC is being revoked due to placement at a DAEP or an expulsion, the Principal will need to inform the parent of this in the Principal’s Conference. The Assistant Principal will need to include this in the narrative and send a copy to Zeena Rossi via fax or .

13. “The principal has the option to block a School Choice applicant if a student has engaged in conduct or behavior in the preceding school year that resulted in a removal to a DAEP or an expulsion.”
2 week window (No exceptions beyond this window) – The Principal may look at the completed forms sent to the SC designee up to 2 weeks after the SC designee received them in the pony.
Principal /contact PPS - If the Principal feels any of the approved SC forms should be blocked, they will need to contact Ann McNabb to discuss it.
Letter from PPS – A letter from PPS has already been sent to the parent/guardian stating their child was approved to attend the school of choice. PPS will now follow up with a letter stating the Principal has blocked their SC application.
Keep record – A copy of the SC form, both letters, and any documentation to support the block should be kept on file at the school of choice.

14. Wait list timeline for offering seats:
after the first 2 weeks of the new school year
at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 9 week grading periods
no seats are offered the 4th 9 weeks
No seats may be offered off the wait list prior to the established timelines even if you believe room is or will be available.
If the school is able to offer a seat based on the formula (Elementary)/magic number (Secondary): Call the first person on the list, followed by the second, etc. and offer the opportunity for their child to transfer to the requested school. This may be repeated until the available seats have been accepted or the list has been exhausted.

15. The following points must be provided to the parent/guardian during the discussion of the offer:
A seat is available at this time for your child.
If you elect to accept it, you are to contact your child’s home campus and inform them of your acceptance of the SC offer and request your child be withdrawn.
Parents/Guardians will need to bring the child and withdrawal paperwork to the requested campus to enroll. Parents/guardians must provide current Proof of Residence in NEISD in order to enroll their child at the school of choice.
Accepting the School Choice transfer does not include transportation. - Parents/Guardians are responsible for transportation
The decision needs to be made within three school business days.
Should you decline the offer, your child’s name will be removed from the waiting list and you will be required to submit a new request for School Choice should you want one in the future.

16. Make appropriate notes in comment section when removing students from the wait list if they do not want the seat – EX: Include date, time and name of the parent/guardian you spoke with and if they are accepting the seat or not. If they are not accepting the seat and give a reason why, document that as well.
If a parent/guardian contacts PPS and asks where their child is on the wait list, the Administrative Assistants will advise them to contact the school to find out in general where they are on the wait list because they do not have access to the SC wait list
If a parent/guardian contacts the school, we advise you to give a general # (For example between 1 and 10, 10-20, etc.) with an explanation to the parent/guardian that you are not able to give an exact # because it could change (For example - parents/guardians may ask for their child to be removed from the wait list)

17. **Special Note – If a parent/guardian contacts the school to notify them, that they do want their child to be removed from the wait list have the parent put this in writing via a note, fax, or . Please make sure it is dated and signed by the parent with the parent’s name and student’s name on it and the name of the school they want their child removed from the wait list. Then the SC designee should remove the student from the wait list documenting in the comment section that the parent requested this in writing and put the date it was submitted to you in writing. Then or fax a copy to ZEENA ROSSI. If a parent/guardian contacts PPS, ZEENA ROSSI will do the same. She will remove the student from the wait list once written notification is received and then will fax or a copy to the SC designee. Please staple the written notification behind the completed SC application form on file on campus for future reference.

18. Changes to School Choice App
There is only 1 App now, the School Choice App.
The “Waiting List” App has been removed.
All changes (comments, granting a seat, removal from wait list etc.) will now be done through the SC App.
Blue Wheel/Gear has been added so that everything can be done in one place.
If after the school year begins, a seat is being offered and parent accepts the seat:
Click on blue wheel/gear and enter notes/comments
Click “Set to Granted”
Granted students will be sent automatically to the “Granted List”.
If at any point and time a parent calls and wants their student removed from the list or you call to offer a seat and they decline the seat:
Click “Remove Completely”
Student will be removed from wait list and placed in the “History”

19. Example of what you’ll see when you click on the blue wheel/gear as well as the new buttons.

20. SNAC Code: S

21. Wait List: WL

22. Administrative Assistant assigned to School Choice:
When in doubt, contact Zeena Rossi in PPS via phone at or at
Administrative Assistant assigned to School Choice:
Kathy Brown