From Policy 4105: STUDENT ENROLLMENT POLICY
VII. ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES
A. Definitions
1. “Registration Period” is defined as that period during which applications are
accepted for the following school year. The Registration Period will be from
November 1 at 8:00 a.m. to February 15 at 4:00 p.m.
2. “Enrollment Period” for the current school year for students in grades K-8 is
defined as any time during the school year if space is available in those grades.
“Enrollment Period” for the Fall semester of the current school year for students
in 9th and 10th grades is defined as any time through the first 10 school days of the
Fall semester if space is available. “Enrollment Period” for the second semester of
the current school year for students in 9th and 10th grades is defined as any time
through the first 10 school days of the Spring semester if space is available in
those grades. ACS will not accept new students in grades 11 and 12, but
parents/guardians of current students will be asked to share their intentions of
returning to ACS for the following school year.
B. Process
1. If necessary, after the preferences set out below are applied, a lottery will
be held for those situations where applications exceed the capacity of a
program, class, grade level, or building. All students who submit an
application during the Registration Period shall be deemed to have
simultaneously submitted their application one second after the beginning
of the Registration Period. If a lottery is necessary at the close of the
Registration Period, a waiting list will be created for those children not
selected in the lottery, using the lottery to determine the position on the
wait list. If necessary, the lottery will be held on the last Wednesday of
March. All parents whose child are involved in the lottery will be notified
by email and alert message at least one week prior to the lottery. The
notification will include the date and time of the lottery, and include a link
to the lottery. The Lottery will be performed by the Chief Executive
Officer, or designee, online using Zoom or Google Meet, or some similar
application, so parents may watch and ask questions afterward. A shared
spreadsheet, such as Google Sheets, will be used to display the names of
the students in the lottery, the random number generator, and the results of
the lottery. Prior to the beginning of the drawing process the Chief
Executive Officer, or designee, will review for the participants the lottery
process, enrollment preferences, the concept of the waitlist, and any other
information as appropriate. The Chief Executive Officer, or designee, will
also display the number of open seats in each grade requiring a lottery.
Students with a preference will be identified and drawn first. Students with
no preferences will be drawn next. A computer random generator will be
used to “draw” the names which will then be displayed indicating their
order in obtaining seats, or place on the waitlist, at the school.
The lottery will continue until all names have been drawn. At the conclusion of the
lottery any parents observing may ask questions.
2. During the applicable Enrollment Period, ACS shall enroll an eligible
student who submits a timely application in the order in which the
applications are received during the Enrollment Period, unless there is no
space available in the particular program, class, grade level or building for
which the student is applying, in which case the student will be added to
the waiting list in the order in which the application was received.
3. Once enrolled at ACS, students are not required to reapply in subsequent
registration or enrollment periods, but parents/guardians will be asked to
share their intentions of returning to ACS in the following school year.
C. Enrollment Preferences
Preference shall be given to (1) students who reside in the former Arapahoe
Elementary School attendance area*, (2) siblings of currently enrolled students
who were admitted to ACS in a previous year, (3) siblings of students who have
completed the highest grade offered at ACS who were enrolled in at least four
grade levels at ACS, (4) siblings in grades K-8 when at least one space is
available for one of the siblings, regardless of any caps or waiting lists in the other
grade levels, and (5) limited to no more than fifteen percent (15%) of ACS’s total
enrollment, children of the school’s full-time employees.
*This preference is based on a statutory requirement in G.S.115C-
218.45(c) which states that a when a local school administrative unit
converts to a charter school (it) shall give admission preference to students
who reside within the former attendance area of that school.
In the event that applications in a preferred group exceed the capacity of a
program, class, grade level, or building, a lottery will determine which students
will be enrolled in the space or spaces available, unless the board decides to add
another classroom at that grade level. If siblings have applied for admission and a
lottery is needed, ACS may enter one surname to represent all of the siblings
applying at the same time. If that surname is selected, then all of the siblings shall
be admitted. If multiple birth siblings apply for admission and a lottery is needed,
ACS shall enter one surname into the lottery to represent all of the multiple birth
siblings applying at the same time. If that surname of the multiple birth siblings is
selected, then all of the multiple birth siblings shall be admitted.