Example: students recommended for the Connections Program will receive priority for placement at Conant.
➔ Sibling priority. If the newly enrolling Kindergarten student has an older sibling in the school system who attended an elementary school in the District, the newly enrolling student will be given priority for that same school. Important Note: based on current District policy, the sibling priority remains in effect even when that older sibling has aged out of the elementary school and is attending either the Junior High or the High School.
Example: If a newly enrolled K student has a brother in 10th grade at ABRHS who previously attended Merriam, that student will be provided preference for placement at Merriam if the family so indicates.
➔ Walking Distance. Students who are determined by the District to meet the criteria of living within a one mile safe walk of a school will be given preference for placement at that school.
➔ Hometown Guarantee . As noted above, children who live in Boxborough are guaranteed a spot at the Blanchard School if they so choose, and children who live in Acton are guaranteed a spot at an Acton school if they so choose. Exceptions may be made for special education services.
➔ There are two other factors that are not as common, but may still impact placement decisions:
◆ If the parents of a child who is being retained in Kindergarten requests to transfer to a different elementary school, they receive priority to attend that school ◆ The ABEA contract allows for a teacher at an elementary school who is also a resident of Acton or Boxborough to request that their own elementary-aged child be placed at the school where they teach. Example: Mrs. Lee lives in Acton and also teaches 4th grade at Douglas Elementary. She may request that her son be placed at Douglas. Once the above variables have been addressed in the placement process, the remaining available spaces at a school are filled with students whose families listed it as their first choice. If a school has more first choice selections than available openings, then the spaces will be filled through a randomized lottery process.
For a family that is not able to secure a space at their first choice, the following takes place:
➔ They are placed at the school with available spaces that is highest on their ranked list of preferred schools. This could be their second choice or their sixth choice. Trends for the past 2-3 years of families receiving their highest choice are included below. ➔ Families are automatically placed on a waitlist for their preferred school. Students are first placed on the wait list in random order, and then families who subsequently make a change request or are newly registered students will be added to the waitlist. Before the start of a subsequent school year, the wait list will be reviewed if there are spaces that become available at that school in that particular grade
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