Controlled Enrollment of Elementary and High Schools

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING:

Rescind Board Report 96-0828-PO2 “Controlled Enrollment Membership of Overcrowded Elementary Schools” and adopt a comprehensive policy on the controlled enrollment of elementary and high schools.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this comprehensive policy is to establish the criteria for designating a school for controlled enrollment and to establish the process and procedures for its implementation.

POLICY TEXT:

Introduction: “Controlled enrollment” is a serious remedy to the problem of school overcrowding that should only be used to address severe overcrowding situations. Once controlled enrollment status is granted, a school will cease enrolling new students except as specified in this policy. Students who are unable to attend their attendance area school due to its controlled enrollment status will be afforded seats in designated area receiving schools for enrollment with transportation provided by the Board in accordance with existing policies. This comprehensive policy shall be implemented in compliance with the provisions of the Modified Consent Decree.

1. Criteria for Designating a School for Controlled Enrollment Status.

At a minimum, the following criteria shall be used to determine whether a school qualifies for controlled enrollment status:

• A school has a student membership, as determined by the Department of School Demographics, equal to or greater than 100 percent of the school’s design capacity;
• A school has discontinued Open Enrollment as described in the CPS Comprehensive Enrollment and Transfer Policy and is no longer enrolling students who live outside its attendance boundary;
• A school has attempted, but failed, to alleviate overcrowding by utilizing the school building to the maximum extent possible for classroom purposes; and
• An elementary school has attempted, but failed, to alleviate overcrowding by implementing a year-round four-track schedule in accordance with the CPS Controlled Enrollment Guidelines or
• A high school has attempted, but failed, to alleviate overcrowding by implementing multiple starting times.

2. Process for Authorizing Controlled Enrollment Status.

The following procedures will govern the designation of a school for controlled enrollment status:

• The school principal must submit a written request for controlled enrollment status to the Chief Education Officer that outlines the reasons why controlled enrollment is necessary and the steps taken by the school to relieve overcrowding.
• The Chief Education Officer or designee shall investigate controlled enrollment requests focusing on at least the following:
  
  1. Documented evidence regarding the specific factors that qualify a school for controlled enrollment status described in section 1 of this policy;
  2. School building space availability and utilization;
  3. The school’s attempts to remedy overcrowding through the elimination of non-curricular space in the school building or other remedial measures;
  4. The school’s implementation of a year-round four-track schedule (elementary school) or multiple start time schedule (high school); and
  5. Other factors that may impact on a school’s need for controlled enrollment status.
• If following investigation the Chief Education Officer believes controlled enrollment status is appropriate, a written recommendation will be submitted to the Board for final action.
• The Board shall determine whether a school is granted controlled enrollment status based on the recommendation of the Chief Education Officer.

3. Implementing Controlled Enrollment.

Only the Office of Instruction and School Management may implement a controlled enrollment system at a school approved for controlled enrollment by the Board. The Chief Education Officer has responsibility for decisions concerning enrollment and the use of space in overcrowded schools. Controlled enrollment status shall be implemented as follows:

• The Office of Instruction and School Management shall be responsible for implementation of this policy. The Office of Instruction and School Management shall issue Guidelines that spell out the roles and responsibilities of sending and receiving schools and the Office of Instruction and School Management.
• Schools with controlled enrollment status shall enroll only the following new students:
  
  1. Kindergarten students (elementary schools only);
  2. Incoming ninth graders (high schools only) in accordance with the CPS Controlled Enrollment Guidelines;
  3. Siblings of students already enrolled at the school, if there is space available in the sibling’s grade;
  4. Special education students when appropriate special education services are not available at a receiving school as determined by the Office of Specialized Services;
  5. English Language Learner students when appropriate bilingual services are not available at a receiving school, as determined by the Office of Language and Cultural Education; and
  6. Students for whom extenuating circumstances, as determined on a case-by-case basis (e.g. serious medical condition) by the Office of Instruction and School Management necessitate enrollment in a controlled enrollment school.
  Except as to kindergarten students, the enrollment of all such students referenced above shall be approved by and initiated through the Office of Instruction and School Management. When appropriate, new students satisfying any of the above-stated criteria whose enrollment would promote the existence of an integrated school shall be given priority.
• Waiting List
  Students who are unable to enroll in their attendance area school due to controlled enrollment shall be placed on a waiting list for possible future enrollment as follows:
  
  1. The waiting list for controlled enrollment schools will, at time of enrollment, be automatically generated from the CPS Student Information System.
  2. When membership at a controlled enrollment school drops to 90 percent of design capacity, as determined by the Department of School Demographics, such school will be required to enroll children who reside in its attendance area. In such event, the Office of Instruction and School Management will initiate call back notification of students appearing on the waiting list in order to fill all open slots at the controlled enrollment school.
  3. When a student who is on a waiting list receives a call back notice, the student can either accept the open slot in the controlled enrollment school or continue to attend his/her current school. If a student chooses to remain at his/her current school, controlled enrollment transportation will be discontinued and the student will be removed from the waiting list.
  4. When appropriate, priority may be given to students whose enrollment would promote the existence of an integrated school.
• Receiving Schools
  The Office of Instruction and School Management annually shall identify receiving school(s) for each school on controlled enrollment. In issuing the list of receiving schools, it will identify the existence of any integrated schools that are within reasonable proximity of controlled enrollment schools, and which have adequate space to enroll the students displaced by the designation of a school for controlled enrollment status. If these integrated schools have adequate space to enroll students displaced due to the designation of a neighboring school as controlled enrollment, then these schools shall be established as receiving schools for purposes of relieving overcrowding so that displaced students might also benefit from a diverse and integrated student population and environment.
  
  Principals of receiving schools must enroll any student coming from the attendance area of a controlled enrollment school until the receiving school has reached program capacity as determined by the Department of School Demographics and the Office of Instruction and School Management.
• Any principal who fails or refuses to enroll students in accordance with this policy may be subject to discipline.

4. Monitoring and Support.

The Office of Instruction and School Management and the Office of High School Programs are responsible for providing technical support and assistance to schools affected by controlled enrollment and shall monitor and report progress in achieving the goals of controlled enrollment.

5. Annual Evaluation of Controlled Enrollment Status.

Schools with controlled enrollment status shall be evaluated annually as follows:

• At the end of each school year, the Office of Instruction and School Management together with the Department of School Demographics shall review the enrollment situation of all controlled enrollment schools and will evaluate whether controlled enrollment status continues to be appropriate.
• Based on this annual evaluation, the Chief Education Officer may submit to the Board for final action a written recommendation to remove a school’s controlled enrollment status.
• The Board shall determine whether to continue or discontinue a school’s controlled enrollment status based on the recommendation of the Chief Education Officer.