Milford School District, Milford, Delaware Milford School District, Milford, Delaware Milford School District, Milford, Delaware Milford School District, Milford, Delaware Milford School District, Milford, Delaware Milford School District, Milford, Delaware Milford School District, Milford, Delaware

School Choice

The School Choice policy of the Milford School District is provided below. A printable FY2010-2011 School Choice Application is also available.

  1. ESTABLISHMENT AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
    The General Assembly of the State of Delaware enacted an enrollment choice program within the public school system of the State for the school year beginning July 1, 1996 . It is the goal of the General Assembly to increase access to educational opportunity for all children throughout the State regardless of where may live.
  2. DEFINITIONS
    For the purposes of this policy, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
    1. "District of Residence" shall mean any reorganized school district in which the Parent of a student resides.
    2. "Parent" shall mean parent or legal guardian of the child.
    3. "Receiving District", "District", "Board of Education" or "Board" shall mean the Milford School District . Since the District includes more than one school, if a Parent of a child applies to enroll his or her child in a public school program within the District of Residence other than the school in which the child would normally be enrolled based on his or her residence, the Milford School District shall also be considered the Receiving District under this policy.
    4. "Good Cause" shall mean a change in a child's residence due to a change in family residence, a change in the state in which the family residence is located, a change in child's Parent's marital status, a change caused by a guardianship proceeding, placement of a child in foster care, adoption, participation by a child in a foreign exchange program, or participation by a child in substance abuse or mental health treatment program, or a similar set of circumstances consistent with this definition of "Good Cause."
    5. "Working days" shall mean working days as determined by the District's administrative calendar.
  3. APPLICATION PROCEDURE
    1. Any Parent of a school age child may apply to enroll his or her child in a school or program in the District by submitting a written application, on a form provided by the State Board of Education, to the District and to the District of Residence no later than January 1 for enrollment during the following year for grades 1 through 12, or by May 1, for enrollment during the following year in a kindergarten program.
    2. If a Parent of a school age child fails to file an application by the established deadlines and Good Cause exists for the failure to meet the deadline, or if the application is to enroll a child in a kindergarten program, this District and the District of Residence shall accept and consider the application in the same manner as if the deadline had been met.
    3. A separate application must be submitted for each student.
    4. Only one application may be submitted for each student, and must be limited to one choice school or program.
    5. An application must be submitted for the sibling of a student already enrolled in a District school. A sibling is not granted automatic approval to attend a choice school.
    6. An application must be submitted for non-resident students who are currently attending Milford Schools by special permission.
    7. A student will be enrolled in a choice school until they complete the program and/or grade level configuration of the school:
      • Morris - End of Grade 1
      • Banneker - End of Grade 5
      • Ross - End of Grade 5
      • Middle School - End of Grade 8
    8. A timely choice application must be submitted in order for a student to be considered for enrollment in the school housing the next grade combination.
    9. As a part of the application, the parent or guardian must sign a request for school records to be sent to Milford School District from the last school of attendance. This request shall include grades, attendance and discipline information.
  4. WITHDRAWAL OF APPLICATION
    1. The Parent of a school age child may withdraw the application at any time prior to action on the application by the Board by giving written notice to the Milford Board of Education and the Board of the District of Residence.
  5. PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING AN APPLICATION
    1. Within ten working days of receiving an application, the Milford School District shall transmit a notice to the District of Residence that it has received the application.
    2. The Board of Education shall take action no later than February 15 of the school year preceding enrollment to approve, place on a waiting list, or disapprove an application for admission to a program in grades 1 through 12, and no later than June 15 of the school year preceding enrollment to approve, place on a waiting list, or disapprove an application for admission to a kindergarten program.
    3. For an application filed in accordance with III.B., the Milford Board of Education shall take action to approve or disapprove the application no later than 45 days after it has been received.
    4. The Milford Board of Education shall transmit a notice of its action to the Parent of the child and to the Board of Education of the District of Residence within five working days after taking action.
    5. Application will not be accepted for students who have been suspended or expelled from another school district until that district readmits the student or until the full period of expulsion from the expelling district has expired.
    6. Applications must be submitted by mail or in person to the following address: School Choice Office, Milford School District , 906 Lakeview Avenue , Milford , Delaware 19963 .
  6. CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS
    1. Priority will be given to the following categories of students in the order listed:
      1. Returning resident students who continue to meet the requirements for the program or school.
      2. Resident students who are not presently enrolled, but because they live in the attendance area, would normally attend that school.
      3. Siblings of students already enrolled, provided they meet the requirements of the program or school.
      4. Resident students who currently attend an elementary school outside the designated attendance area and who wish to continue attending their current school.
      5. Resident students who reside within the District and wish to attend an elementary school outside their attendance area.
      6. Resident students who do not attend a District school.
      7. Non-resident children of employee(s) of the Milford School District .
      8. Non-resident students whose day care providers are located in the Milford School District .
      9. Non-resident students whose parents place of employment is located in the Milford School District .
      10. Students who reside in another school district.
    2. Applications received after the applicable deadline due to "good cause" shall be considered in the order set forth in paragraph III.B. above.
  7. CRITERIA FOR DISAPPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS
    1. Disapproval of applications may be on the basis of any of the following:
      1. Capacity of the affected schools or programs as determined by the district.
      2. The student who has made application has been suspended or expelled from the District of Residence and has not been reinstated by that District.
      3. Impact on the racial composition of the affected schools. At Banneker and/or Ross Schools , racial composition shall be within four (4) percent of each other.
      4. The special needs requirements of an existing Individualized Educational Plan. (IEP)
  8. CAPACITY

    Applications will be considered in the order listed under the Admittance Criteria. If the capacity of the school or program cannot accommodate all of the students in one of the listed categories, a lottery will be conducted to determine which applications in such a category will be accepted.

    1. After making provisions for the accommodation of all students regularly assigned to each district school, the Superintendent or his designee will determine the number of spaces available for CHOICE APPLICATIONS to each district school.
  9. DURATION OF ENROLLMENT IN THE MILFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT
    1. A student will be enrolled in the choice school until completion of the program and/or grade level combination or configuration of the school:
      • Morris - End of Grade 1
      • Banneker - End of Grade 5
      • Ross - End of Grade 5
      • Middle School - End of Grade 8
    2. A student accepted for enrollment in a District school or program shall remain enrolled for a minimum of two years unless, during the two year period, the student graduates from the school or completes the program, the student's parent(s) cease to be residents of the student's original District of Residence, or at the conclusion of any academic year during the two year period, the student ceases to meet the academic requirements of the school/program or fails to satisfactorily comply with the District's code of conduct.
    3. A student who fails to meet the academic requirements of the choice school will not be permitted to return the next school year. Meeting the academic requirements is defined as meeting district standards for promotion to the next grade level, receiving a performance level of 2 or higher on the Reading , Writing, and Math component of the DSTP, and/or completion of the necessary credits to be on track for graduation.
    4. Students who commit serious and/or repeated violations of the Milford School District Code of Conduct will not be permitted to return to the choice school for the following school year. Serious violations are defined as any acts of violence, violation of law, and/or acts that endanger the safety and/or welfare of others or seriously disrupt the educational process. Repeated violations mean more than 10 disciplinary referrals in a school year and/or more than an accumulation of 60 demerits. The Superintendent shall make this determination. A withdraw of choice status may be appealed to theMilford Board of Education for a final ruling.
  10. TERMINATION OF ENROLLMENT
    1. Enrollment in a choice school will be automatically terminated upon the completion of the program or completion of the last grade level contained in the choice school.
    2. A parent may apply to terminate enrollment in the Milford Schools at the end of a school year by providing the withdrawal application to the Superintendent by December 1.
    3. An application to withdraw may be accepted after December 1 if the deadline was missed due to "good cause". Good cause is as defined in the definitions and application procedures.
    4. The District will send the parent notice that the application to withdraw has been received and a copy will be sent to the student's District of Residence.
    5. Approval of disapproval of the application to withdraw will take place by December 15, or within 15 days of receipt of the application to withdraw, whichever is later.
    6. The enrollment of choice students will be terminated for lack of effort to achieve a passing grade in any course or subject area, violation of the district's attendance and lateness (tardiness) policies or violation of the Student Code of Conduct at a level that would result in a hearing of any type. The superintendent or his/her designee will conduct a formal hearing to terminate the enrollment of a choice student for any of the above reasons. Upon termination, a certified letter will be sent to the student and to the district of residence notifying them of the termination of enrollment and the expectation that the student will enroll as a student in the district of residence.
  11. TRANSPORTATION
    1. The Parent of a student from another school district enrolled in a Milford School is responsible for transporting the student to their choice school without reimbursement or the Parent can deliver the student to the nearest regular bus route with available space that serves the choice school. Parents are responsible for picking up their children at the bus stop when school is dismissed early or if the opening of school is delayed.
    2. Students qualifying for the Federal Lunch Program who elect a choice school and would qualify for bus transportation and none is available are eligible to receive a payment equal to the average cost per student (regular or special as appropriate). If the District of Residence is providing transportation for that student, it is then the recipient of the per pupil cost.
  12. INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS
    1. Students shall be governed by the Rules of the Delaware Secondary School Athletic Association with regard to eligibility of transferring students.
    2. A student enrolled in grades ten through twelve, inclusive, shall not be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletic contests or competitions during the first year of enrollment in the choice school if the student was enrolled in a different choice school during the preceding school year unless the interscholastic sport was not offered at the previous school.
  13. CREDITS/GRADUATION
    1. A student who has enrolled in the District and who has met the district's graduation requirements shall be granted a diploma by the district. The District shall accept credits toward graduation requirements awarded by another school district.