House Bill 251 - Public School Choice (2011 – 2012)

Parent Notification – July 1, 2011
House Bill 251 General Information

HB251 Parent Notice (Full Text)

Beginning July 11, HB251 transfer applications will be available at the Central Office (484 Mulberry Street), at all schools (July 12), and on this webpage.

HB251 Transfer Request Form

As the parent or guardian of a student currently enrolled in the Bibb County School District, we are notifying you of House Bill 251 (HB251), a law signed by Governor Perdue in 2009 that allows parents of K-12 public school students in Georgia the opportunity to enroll their child in designated schools within the local school district in which they now reside.

Under this state law, parents may request to transfer their child to another public school in the district for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year “if such school has classroom space available after its assigned students have been enrolled.”

The Bibb County School District will determine “space available” in accordance with the capacity calculations approved by the United States District Court in the case of Adams, et al. v. Board of Education. Portable classrooms are not included in the calculations.

This law requires that the District provide notification of schools which have “space available” by July 1. However, final enrollment numbers cannot be determined until current and new students living in the zone have been enrolled for the new academic year.

In addition, other transfer provisions already in place must be included in the final determination of enrollment. These include:

• No Child Left Behind transfers
• Children of school-based employee transfers
• Majority-to-Minority transfers
• Continuation of existing transfers
• Selection processes for Magnet Programs
• Provisions for accommodating twins
• Provisions for accommodating siblings of special education students

NOTE:

If a parent requests a transfer to a school that does not have the services required by the current Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Individualized Accommodation Plan (IAP), the district is not required to develop those services as long as they are available within the local school district. To determine the availability of specific services, contact the Program for Exceptional Children at 478-765-8709.

Any high school student transferring under this law is still subject to the eligibility requirements of the Georgia High School Association. The student must verify eligibility with the District Athletic Office at 478-765-8550 to determine if a transfer will result in the loss of eligibility;

Preliminary List of Schools Not Accepting HB251 Transfers

Newly Opened Schools

This law does not apply to newly opened schools for a period of four years from the school’s opening. Bibb County schools in this category are:

Schools Currently at or over Capacity

Based on enrollment projections, the following schools will not be accepting HB251 transfers.

Schools with a Magnet Program

Based on their established application and selection process, the following schools will not be accepting HB251 transfers. You may contact the school for information regarding their application process.

Preliminary List of Schools Eligible to Accept HB251 Transfers

The Bibb County School District will determine “space available” in accordance with the capacity calculation approved by the United States District Court in the case of Adams, et al. v. Board of Education. Portable classrooms are not included in the calculations.

The following preliminary list indicates which schools may have space available. Accounting for student enrollment at the beginning of the year and the status of other transfers, availability may change.

Transfer Application Process & Timeline

Below is the timeline for transfer applications under No Child Left Behind and HB251.

Beginning July 11, HB251 transfer applications will be available at the Central Office (484 Mulberry Street), the district web site (www.bibb.k12.ga.us) and all schools (July 12).

From July 11 – July 29, applications may be mailed or hand delivered to the Office of Student Support Services located at 484 Mulberry Street, Suite 390, Macon, GA 31201. Applications must be post marked on or before July 29. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Once students who are granted transfers under No Child Left Behind are enrolled in their new schools, a lottery will be held (TBA) to select 251 transfers in the Central Office Board Room, 4^th floor – 484 Mulberry Street.

Letters will be mailed to parents notifying them of the status of their HB251 transfer request. Students receiving 251 transfers will be given a period of time (TBA) to enroll at their receiving schools. After the given time period the transfer is no longer applicable and the student must remain at their zoned school.

Transfer Application Timeline

Transfer Provisions

 Parents/Guardians who are interested in applying for a transfer under HB251 should be aware of the following provisions:

• Students must be enrolled and in attendance for at least 20 school days in order to be eligible to request a HB251 transfer.

• A parent/guardian can elect to send a child to another public school in the same school district as long as there is space available at the school after its assigned students have been enrolled. Once capacity is reached at a school, no more transfers will be accepted at that school;

• If a parent/guardian elects to exercise this choice option, the parent assumes all costs associated with transporting the child to and from the selected school;

• Students in designated Needs Improvement (NI) schools that must offer public school choice under No Child Left Behind and students eligible for transfer under the unsafe school choice option (not applicable for Bibb County) will be given first priority for available seats at designated schools;

• Transfers will not be accepted for schools which have opened since the 2007-2008 school year;

• If a parent requests a transfer to a school that does not have the services required by the current Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Individualized Accommodation Plan (IAP), the district is not required to develop those services as long as they are available within the district. To determine the availability of specific services, contact the Program for Exceptional Children at 478-765-8709;  

• Any high school student transferring under this new law is still subject to the eligibility requirements of the Georgia High School Association, and you must verify eligibility with the District Athletic Office at 478-765-8550 to determine if a transfer will result in the loss of athletic eligibility;

• A student who transfers to another school under this new law may continue to attend that school until the student completes all grades of the school. However, a transferring student who completes all grades available at the receiving school will not be automatically eligible to attend the feeder middle or high school. A new transfer application must be submitted.