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Gloucester Community Arts Charter School
Enrollment Policy and Procedure For the 2012-2013 school year.

Click here to download a 2012-2013 Enrollment form

Gloucester Community Arts Charter School (GCA) is a public school enrolling students from Gloucester and the surrounding communities in grades Kindergarten through eighth. We welcome all who choose to come to school here.  To be eligible for admission to GCA,  applicants must submit an Enrollment Form.  The enrollment process is not selective and is non-discriminatory. There is no tuition. 

ELIGIBILITY

GCA requires:
  1. Applicants must be eligible for admission to grades K - 8.
  2. Applicants must be residents of Massachusetts at the time that they submit an Application.
  3. Primary preference for admission will be given to siblings of applicants currently attending GCA in accordance with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regulations.
  4. Secondary preference for admission will be given to applicants who are residents of Gloucester at the time they are offered admission to the school.
  5. Tertiary preference will be given to applicants who are non-residents of Gloucester.
GCA will not:
  1. Give admissions preference to children of staff members or board members.
  2. Give admissions preference to siblings of applicants accepted to the school but not yet attending the school.
  3. Make statements intended to discourage, or have the effect of discouraging, parents/guardians of applicants with disabilities, applicants with limited English proficiency, or any other protected group of student from submitting an application to the school. M.G.L. c.71 §89(1).
GCA may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, ancestry, athletic or artistic performance, special need, proficiency, English language proficiency, or prior academic achievement when recruiting or admitting applicants. In summary, GCA may not set admissions criteria that are intended to discriminate or that have the effect of discriminating based upon any of these characteristics. M.G.L.c.71§ 89(1); 603 CMR 1.06 (1).

If it is determined that an applicant does not meet eligibility requirements per GCA policy the student will not be allowed to attend the school. The Parent/Guardian will be notified by phone and in writing. (603CMR 1.06 (1))

OUTREACH

GCA provides recruiting and enrollment information to those who are interested in the school throughout the year. The school provides applications at its information sessions. The school provides applications in languages of the community. If a family is unable to attend an information session, GCA will email or mail an application form. The next open house is scheduled at the school for:

     Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10am

ENROLLMENT PERIOD

The initial enrollment period for admission to GCA for the 2012-2013 academic year in running now through March 12, 2012. All eligible applications received by this date will then be considered for admission. GCA will not offer enrollment based on first come first served basis. If applications are greater than available spaces for any available grade, a blind lottery will be held. GCA will continue to accept applications after the initial enrollment deadline on a rolling basis with a lottery to be held at the end of each month. Date, time and location of lotteries will be posted publicly.

ADMISSION & LOTTERY

GCA will extend an offer to all applicants in each enrollment group to fill the available slots or will select applicants randomly using a lottery if applications exceed the number of available seats. If there are more eligible applicants than there are spaces available, GCA will hold a blind lottery to determine the order which applicants will be offered admission.
  • Public Lotteries will be held at the school.

WAIT LIST

Applicants who are not offered admission due to availability will be placed on the waiting list. If a space becomes available, the applicant will be notified.

  1. If a student stops attending the charter school or declines admission, the next available student on the waitlist for that grade will be offered admission until the vacant seat is filled (M.G.L. Chapter 71, Section 89(n).
  2. No student will be admitted ahead of other eligible students on the waiting list unless said student is either a sibling of a previously enrolled student or a resident of Gloucester (603 CMR 1.06(5)).
  3. Applicants from the wait list will be offered spaces by phone, email or letter if the first two methods fail to reach the family.
  4. Applicants offered a seat from the wait list will have 5 days to accept or decline the offer.
  5. Parents/guardians offered a seat will be contacted by phone prior to the expiration of the time period to accept or decline to be reminded of the deadline and/or confirm the decision.
  6. GCA will maintain the wait-list from year-to-year so that a student's place on the wait-list is maintained until they decline an offer.
  7. GCA will maintain accurate wait list records containing: applicant name, home addresses, telephone numbers, and grade levels for all students who entered the lottery but did not gain admission (603 CMR 1.06(4)(f)).
  8. When a student stops attending for any reason, GCA will attempt to full the vacant seat up to February 15th. (603 CMR 1.06(4)(d)).
  9. Any vacancy not filled after February 15th moves into the subsequent grade, to be filled the following September if such grade is not in the last half of the grades offered (603 CMR 1.06 (4)(d)).

ENROLLMENT CONFIRMATION

All applicants, either at the lottery or not in attendance, will be notified of their admission status-accepted or wait list- by written communication.  Applicants offered seats through the lottery process have two weeks to accept or decline enrollment in the school.  If an applicant declines enrollment, the next applicant on the appropriate wait list will be immediately contacted. An applicant who declines enrollment will be removed from the wait list.  Applicants from the wait list will be offered spaces by phone, email or letter if the first two methods fail to reach the family.  Applicants offered a seat from the wait list will have 5 days to accept or decline the offer.  This will ensure that everyone who has interest in attending the school will have the opportunity to enroll.  Parents/guardians offered a seat will be contacted by phone prior to the expiration of the time period to accept or decline to be reminded of the deadline and/or confirm the decision.

All families will receive an enrollment packet containing Student Information, Records Release Form, and Proof of Residency (N/A for Homeless applicants), and other required enrollment forms.  This completed packet must be returned to the school within two weeks or at the end of the 5 day response window for wait list applicants.  Proof of residency will include utility receipts and/ or official state or community identification cards with home address.

Click here to download a 2012-2013 Enrollment form


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