HCS School
Choice Definitions
School Choice: In addition to the zone school, families can
apply to various programs in Kindergarten through 12th grade through a
randomized choice lottery application process each school year. These programs
provide opportunities such as innovative learning experiences, unique academic
curricula, theme-based programs, eLabs, project-based learning, and
individualized learning communities. School choice options include Magnet
schools, Open Enrollment schools, Future Ready Institutes, and Early Post-Secondary
Options.
Magnet School: Hamilton County curriculum standards and
benchmarks form the foundation around which each magnet school theme and
philosophy is developed while allowing each magnet school to be unique in its
approach to instruction. Magnet programs in Hamilton County offer
transportation options for out of zone students through centralized drop off
and pick up points across the county.
Open Enrollment School:
Open Enrollment schools in Hamilton County are neighborhood schools with
programs created based on community response and school interest to provide
more choice to students across the county. District transportation will not be
provided to students living out-of-zone of an Open Enrollment school.
Parents/guardians are responsible for their student’s transportation to an Open
Enrollment school.
Early College & Career Options: The Early College & Career Opportunities offer
students the chance to earn postsecondary credit during high school to
jumpstart their post-graduation plans. Hamilton County Schools provides 5
full-time options: Collegiate High at Chattanooga State, Polytech Academy,
Mechatronics Akademie at Volkswagen, Gestamp Work-Based Learning Program, and
Sequoyah High School in addition to EPSO options offered at zone and Magnet
high schools.
Future Ready Institutes: The Future Ready Institutes are
offered in all 14 zone high schools, offering students small learning cohorts
with career, theme-based teaching, and learning. Future Ready Institutes’
principles include relevant instruction, partnerships beyond school,
postsecondary jump start, and student choice.
Application,
Selection, and Admissions Processes for Choice Lottery Schools
a. Admission
to choice schools/programs is on a space-available basis through the application.
The application period runs annually from mid-November through January 31. Seats
will be first filled by those applications received during the official
application period. Applications may be filled out online at
www.hcde.org/choosehamilton
b. In the
event there are more applicants than available seats, a lottery will be used to
assign students a seat number according to their choice(s) indicated on their
application. Any further openings are filled first from the waitlist. Waitlists
expire on the first day of school of each school year and are not carried over
to future years.
c. If there
is space available, children of full-time staff members may attend the choice
school where their parent/guardian works full-time, but a choice school
application must be completed.
d. Incomplete
applications will not be processed. Falsifying any information on the choice
lottery application automatically disqualifies the application. Duplicate
applications will be voided.
e. Placement
to any choice school is not confirmed until the parents/guardians accept the
offered seat within 7 business days of offer.
f. If a
student applies and is accepted to more than one choice school placement, the
student can only accept one choice seat. They will forfeit the other seat(s)
and the seat(s) will be offered to the next student on the waitlist.
g. Once
admitted to a desired choice school, the student must remain at the school for
the entire school year unless a Zero Tolerance offense occurs. Any other
requests for a transfer during the school year must be approved by the Deputy Superintendent or their designee.
Future
Ready Institute specific policies:
i. It is
critical that a student who applies for an Institute does so based on his or
her interest in the college and career theme of the Institute. If a student
withdraws from an institute, he or she must return to his or her zoned high
school. Although a student may withdraw at any point in the school year, it is
important to note this could impact a student’s ability to complete a career
and technical education (CTE) pathway. Parents and students should consult the
school administration and guidance counselor prior to withdrawal. Mid-Year
transfers from FRI’s must be approved by the Director of Future Ready
Institutes of their designee.
ii. If
students are attending the Institute out of zone, they must be enrolled in the
Institute classes to remain at the school of choice. If the student, at the end
of a school year, decides to enroll in classes that are not aligned with the
Institute pathway, he or she will be withdrawn from the Institute and asked to
return to his or her zoned high school.
iii. Pending
availability, a student who has transferred as a freshman in the middle of the
2022-2023 school year can be enrolled in the school’s Institute.
iv. Once a
student has been accepted to an Institute, he or she is now considered a member
of that school. If a student withdraws from the Institute, he or she must
return to their zoned high school. If a student chooses to practice or play on
a school sports team and then leave the Institute, the student should speak
with the Athletic Director about eligibility rules for transfer students before
withdrawing, as he or she must follow the existing transfer or hardship
policies established by the TSSAA. See the TSSAA website http://www.tssaa.org
for further clarification.
Sibling Preference at Magnet and Open
Enrollment Schools
Definition of sibling for preference at Magnet or Open
Enrollment School- brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother or
step-sister of a student currently enrolled at applying magnet and resides at
the same address of the currently enrolled student. This does NOT include
aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, etc. In cases involving joint custody,
legal documentation is required.
Sibling Status: If space is available and a choice lottery
application has been completed, siblings are accepted into the choice school in
which their brother or sister currently attends.
Current families will be given a Sibling Identification Form
to notify the school of incoming Kindergarten students. All families must
complete the choice application process before the winter break but absolutely no later than January 31 to be eligible for
admission.
The sibling preference is not considered until the currently
enrolled student has been at Magnet or Open Enrollment school for one year and
both the student and the parent(s) have successfully met the school’s
requirements.
Multiple Births: If during the lottery, one twin or triple
is drawn and receives a seat, then the other sibling(s) will have automatic
entrance for that year.
Application,
Selection, and Admissions Processes for Center for Creative Arts
a. Acceptance
into Center for Creative Arts requires BOTH an application through the choice
lottery process and successful completion of an audition, as specified by the
school administration.
c. Sibling
preference is not considered at CCA due to the nature of auditions.
Magnet
School Balanced Choice Lottery
d. Students
applying to Battle Academy (K), CSAS (K), CSLA (K), Normal Park (K, 6), and
STEM School (9) must complete a choice lottery application during the choice
lottery window.
e. A student
will be entered into a random lottery based on the school board district in
which they live. Each school board district will allocate a percentage of seats
to Battle Academy (K), CSAS (K), CSLA (K), Normal Park (K), and STEM School (9)
based on the number of students living in each school board district. Any
further openings are filled first from the waitlist per the school board
district. The waitlist expires on the first day of school for the applying
year.
f. Application
– Only the student’s parent or guardian may apply for admission to the STEM
School Chattanooga. The Office of School Choice has established an admissions
procedure that will provide transparent and equitable opportunities for all
applicants. If an application is not made during the application time frame, or
denied, students, shall report to their zone school at the beginning of the new
school year.
g. Only ONE
application will be considered for each student. Duplicate applications will be
voided.
CSAS and
CSLA 5th through 11th Grade Applicants for 2024-25 Lottery
For grades 5th-11th, CSAS and CSLA admit students on a
first-come, first-served basis from preexisting waitlists. Applicants will be
notified about acceptance between March and until the day before classes begin
in August each school year.
CSAS and CSLA are currently not taking applications for 5th through 12th grade at this time. Once the waitlist for each grade is exhausted,
the choice lottery application process will be used to fill seats for that
grade level.
Once a seat is available, and the applicant is offered a
seat, pending grade promotion. The admissions office will contact the
applicant’s family to set up a required admissions conference. The admissions
conference serves as an opportunity for the applicant and his/her parents to
learn more about CSAS/CSLA and to discuss shared expectations. Attendance at an
admissions conference is required prior to admission to CSAS/CSLA.
Applicants offered seats in 10th-12th grade must provide a
current transcript to be considered for a position. If the student is not on
grade level, (i.e. will not have the required credits to graduate from CSAS),
he/she is not eligible for admission to CSAS.
Home-schooled students must either provide standardized test
scores showing grade level proficiencies, or take a site-based assessment prior
to being offered a position.
2nd Round Applicants (those interested after January 31)
After January 31, any requests for a seat at a choice school
will be done by completing a 2nd Round Application for Choice Lottery Schools. This could be a smaller list of schools that may still have seats available. It will not be the same list of schools that was in the original lottery for that year. 2nd Round Applicants will not jump anyone on a waiting list from the Lottery.
This 2nd Round Application for Choice Lottery Schools will be
posted on our website beginning mid-March until August 1.
Any 2nd Round Application will be added to this list at the
bottom in the order of the date received. These 2nd Round Applications for Choice
Lottery Schools will only be considered for possible placement AFTER all those
that applied during the priority application period have been offered a choice
seat.
Student
Status for Choice Lottery
a. After
enrolling at a choice school, the choice student is not eligible to transfer to
his/her zone school until the following school year. They may apply to a choice
school when the next application period opens up for the following school year.
The Office of School Choice may make exceptions to this policy. All students
who show up for the first day of school are expected to remain in the choice
school for the entire school year.
b. Current
choice students do not need to reapply to remain at their choice school beyond
the current school year. However, in
order for Magnet students to remain enrolled, the parents/guardians must attend
required parent conferences and complete required parent volunteer hours. The
student also must have good attendance by the end of the school year and follow
the Hamilton County Department of Education Code of Acceptable Behavior and
Discipline Policy. (See Page 14 – Magnet Parent Commitment Form.)
c. Zone
students who attend a Magnet school for which they are zoned may apply to
change their status to Magnet by going through the choice lottery process.
Their place in the choice lottery pool will determine whether they receive
magnet status.
d. If a zone
student at a choice school moves out of the zone and wishes to continue at that
choice school the following year, they must complete a choice lottery
application. Zone students who attend a magnet school are not guaranteed a
magnet seat when they move out of the school’s zone.
e. Magnet
schools with zone students will automatically accept those students with two
proofs of residency. Proof of residency for zone students in a magnet school
will need to be confirmed each year.
f. Student
athletes who transfer from a zone or a magnet school to another zone or magnet
school will still fall under the TSSAA guidelines.
g. Reciprocal
agreements to participate in a sport that a magnet school does not offer will
be at the discretion of the principals involved in the request.
h. Magnet
schools do not accept transfer or hardship students.
i. If a
choice school student fails a grade, they may return to the same choice school
the following school year to repeat that grade if all other parent/student
commitment requirements are met.
Magnet
Parent/Guardian Commitments and Requirements
1.
Parent/Guardian Conferences: Attending parent
conferences is required each school year. One conference is usually for the
fall semester and one for the spring semester. Parents who do not attend a
conference shall be sent a letter stating that the conference must be held
within two weeks of the originally scheduled conference. Missed Conference
Letter. Each magnet school will send a list to the Office of Innovation and
Choice of those parents who didn’t respond to the letter requesting the
parents/guardians to reschedule the conference.
Each magnet school family is required to complete 18 hours of volunteer service. Please see the details and ways in which you can do those on the t Magnet School section of the School Choice website.
2.
Unexcused Absences and/or Unexcused Excessive
Tardiness: If it is determined that a magnet student is accumulating an unacceptable
number of unexcused absences and/or unexcused tardiness/early dismissals, a
warning letter will be sent out. The warning letter should be sent out by the
school as soon as a pattern of unexcused absences or unexcused tardiness is
detected. Notifying the parents at the end of the first semester can be a good
time as this will give the student time to improve. If the school
administration does not see significant improvement in attendance, the student
will lose his/her magnet seat.
3.
Eight unexcused absences and/or ten unexcused
tardiness can cause a student to lose his/her choice seat. A final letter will
be sent out by the school at the end of the school year to those students whose
attendance didn’t drastically improve informing them that they must enroll in
their zoned school for the following school year. (Attendance Warning Letter
and Attendance Final Letter.)
4.
Failure to meet the requirements to remain in a
choice school will result in the student being sent back to his/her zone school
5.
Inappropriate Behavior: After appropriate
interventions to correct inappropriate behavior have been attempted, the
student will lose his/her choice seat if the following circumstances occur:
6.
Student’s behavior is disruptive in the school
setting or on the bus to the extent that it not only interferes with his/her
learning, but also indicates a lack of self-discipline or respect for others.
7.
Parent support and involvement are not adequate
to insure the child’s academic and behavioral success at the magnet school.
8.
As soon as a pattern of inappropriate behavior
is noticed, a warning letter will be sent to the parents/guardians. If the
misbehavior continues, then a final behavior letter will be sent and the
student must enroll in his/her zoned school for the following school year.
(Behavior Warning Letter and Behavior Final Letter.)
9.
Parents/Guardians are required to attend two
parent/teacher conferences each school year. Parents with scheduling conflicts
must plan to participate in a teacher conference within two weeks of the
original conference date. Failure to complete the two-parent/teacher
conferences will result in the student being dis-enrolled from CSAS/CSLA at the
end of the school year. They may reapply to the school after one school year.
10.
Students with 8 unexcused absences or 10
unexcused tardiness/early dismissals will be dis-enrolled for the following
school year. They may reapply after one school year. A warning letter will be
sent as soon as a pattern of unexcused absences and unexcused tardiness is
determined. If there is tremendous improvement in attendance, then there is a
possibility that the seat will not be withdrawn.
11.
Providing false information regarding residency
or sibling status will disqualify an applicant’s enrollment.
12.
All transfer requests to another Hamilton County
School must be approved by the Chief of Staff.
13.
Exit Policy: After appropriate interventions
have been attempted without success, it may be recommended that a child be
withdrawn from a Magnet school if the following circumstances occur:
a.
Student’s behavior is disruptive in the school
setting to the extent that it not only interferes with his/her learning, but
also indicates a lack of self-discipline or respect for others.
b.
Student’s academic experiences and growth do not
reflect commitment or self-motivation toward the learning process. This
includes, but is not limited to, honoring academic and/or social support
contracts.
14.
Magnet school transportation is provided at
pickup point locations. Most of these locations are other Hamilton County Schools.
The safety of each student is of utmost importance to the Hamilton County
Department of Education and its employees. With that in mind, parents are
expected to be with their children when the bus arrives in the morning and when
the bus drops off students in the afternoon. Students may be at risk if left at
the bus stop in the morning or afternoon for any length of time. To ensure the
safety of the students, transportation may be denied for students whose parents
are not at the stop when the bus arrives.
15.
When a principal at one of these pickup
locations makes the Office of School Choice aware of a situation where
the student is being dropped off too early or not picked up on time, a warning
letter from the magnet school that the child attends will be sent to the parent
indicating that the student is in danger of losing his/her magnet seat for the
remainder of the year and the following year if the situation is not corrected
immediately.
16.
Failure to meet the requirements to remain in a
magnet school will result in the student being sent back to his/her zone
school. If the removal of the magnet seat is due to behavior or attendance, the
other siblings in the family may remain enrolled at their magnet school as long
as their behavior and attendance is acceptable. If the parents/guardians don’t
fulfill the two parent conferences, then all magnet students of that family
will lose their magnet seats. The student may reapply after being out one
school year from the magnet schools. Kindergarten students and new magnet
school applicants of that family will not be offered seats for that school
year.
Kindergarten
Procedures
Children enrolled in a school-based Pre-K program must fill
out a choice lottery application if they wish to attend kindergarten at their
current magnet location or if they wish to switch to another choice
kindergarten program. This includes Pre-K children at Battle Academy, Brown
Academy, and Normal Park Lower School. These applicants must follow the same
procedures for acceptance as any other student would.
Students enrolled in the UTC Pre-K program at Brown and
Battle are offered entrance into that school’s kindergarten as long as they
have filled out a choice lottery application during the December-January choice
lottery application period for the upcoming school year and select that school
as their first choice. Families from UTC Pre-K program