ENROLLMENT POLICY

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 Diversity and Non-Discrimination 

 

BCS is committed to enrolling a diverse student population and shall abide by the provisions of the Florida Educational Equity Act and applicable Federal and Florida laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, sex, gender, disability, or any other protected classification. Copies of applications and registration forms will be made available in English and Spanish. Interpretation of the applications and registration forms into other native languages will be provided upon request.

 

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Determination of Openings

 

At least once per school year, the total capacity and total enrollment of the School will be determined by the Governing Board and posted on its website as required by Section 1002.33(10)(h), Florida Statutes. The capacity will be based on the Charter Contract for the School, taking into consideration building space, class size requirements, and school resources. Prior to the lottery, the Principal will determine the number of available openings to be filled for the following year based on the total capacity determined by the Governing Board.

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Out-of-County Students

 

Controlled open enrollment allows any Florida student to enroll in the School regardless of their county of residence, provided that the parent/guardian provides transportation and that the School is not at capacity. However, applicants residing within Bradford County will be given enrollment preference over out-of-county applicants, as required under Section 1002.31, Florida Statutes. Applicants must indicate their county of residence on the enrollment application.

 

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Enrollment Preferences

 

The School will give enrollment preferences to the following students:

1. Students who are the children of a member of the Founding Board of the charter school.

2. Students who are the children of an employee of the charter school.
3. Students who are the siblings of students enrolled at the school.
 

Note: Due to the school's CSP grant application, the enrollment preferences are limited to those allowed under federal guidelines below.

1. Exceptions for students of military families is not permitted during the grant period.

2. Lottery exceptions are not required, but may be included so long as the total number of students allowed under this exemption constitutes only a small percentage of the school's total enrollment.
   
   *Approved addition to Enrollment Policy. (4/23/24)

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Application Process

 

1. BCS will enroll eligible students who submit a timely and complete application, subject to the procedures set forth herein.
2. BCS will begin accepting applications on or before January 15th prior to the desired enrollment year and the application deadline will be March 31st following the opening of the application period, unless different dates are set by the Governing Board (the “Open Enrollment Period”). The Open Enrollment Period will be advertised on the School’s website www.brookercommunityschool.com and in the local newspaper.
3. If the number of applicants exceeds the maximum student population for any grade level or the building capacity, applicants shall have an equal chance of being admitted through a random selection process that complies with Section 1002.33(10)(b), Florida Statutes. If the number of applicants is less than the number of seats anticipated to be available, no lottery shall be conducted for that grade.
4. Following the close of the Open Enrollment Period, a lottery shall be conducted by the School to include all grades in which the number of applicants exceeds the number of expected seats available. Only applications received prior to the end of the Open
Enrollment Period are eligible to participate in the lottery.
5. Students that are not selected during a lottery will be placed on an ordered waitlist based on their lottery number.
6. Parents/guardians will be notified of whether their student has been accepted for
enrollment or placed on the waitlist by April 15.
7. All applicants offered a seat shall be required to affirmatively respond to an offer for acceptance within the designated timeframe. Those that fail to respond within the designated timeframe or who decline the offer will lose their seat and the seat will be offered to the next person on the waitlist or remain open for late applicants if there is no waitlist.
8. All students who accept a seat at the School will subsequently be required to complete an enrollment packet which the School will use to collect additional information about the student necessary for enrollment.

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Late Applications

 

BCS will accept late applications on a rolling basis following the close of the Open Enrollment Period. However, these applicants will not be included in the lottery and will not be offered a spot at the School until the current waitlist has been exhausted. BCS may conduct additional lotteries if there is a sufficient number of late applicants.

 

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Board Secretary Certificate

 

I hereby certify that the foregoing Controlled Open Enrollment Policy was adopted by a majority vote of a quorum of the Governing Board of Directors at a duly noticed meeting held on 1/4/23.