The Fulton County Schools system plans to allow student transfers only when the destination school falls to 95 percent or lower of its capacity.
FCS had allowed students to make transfers to schools for special programs when those programs weren’t filled to capacity. However, school district policies didn’t take into account if the school itself had reached capacity, according to system officials.
Ryan Moore, executive director of FCS Strategy & Governance, used as an example a visual performing arts class with space available during a community meeting on Jan. 17 hosted by FCS board members Katha Stuart and Dr. Meredith Morancie.
“We would allow a student to enroll, not taking into consideration that that student also had to take algebra, ninth-grade lit chemistry, PE, which were already at max capacity,” he said.
Over time, the school district has continued to add population to the schools and exceed state capacity in some cases, causing overcrowded schools.
To make open enrollment less of a burden on parents, the school district plans not to wait until late in the summer before the school year starts to publish the list of schools that have space. Instead, they will publish a list of open-space schools in the fall.
The parents will have more time to make enrollment option decisions, and school principals will have time before the budget cycle starts in January to know how many students they’ve had during the next academic year.
Students will need to meet specific requirements to remain eligible for enrollment at a school other than their home school, the school that serves the district where they live. To keep the privilege of attending a different school, they will need to attend classes, have good behavior, and do their schoolwork.
Transportation was another policy issue the school district needed to clarify.
“What the policy currently says transportation is the duty of the parents,” Moore said. The caveat was that students who are enrolled or are in the application process to attend schools outside their zoned school will continue to be provided transportation until they graduate.
The policy governs schools with clearly defined attendance boundaries, such as North Springs and Riverwood, he said.