moving students, and the impact on existing relationships of students with their educators, school community, service providers, and peers . The district recognizes that this process carries both short- and long-term costs and benefits, and these must be carefully weighed and considered as part of planning for a successful reorganization. Caveat: As part of this plan, the district may want to consider limiting re-enrollment to students in Grades K–4 , keeping 5th-grade cohorts in their current school buildings to reduce disruption for older students. In the case of Conant, for example, 5th graders could be transitioned in chunks to the new school models, rather than moving the entire cohort at once, to allow for a smoother transition and continuity of relationships. Further analysis will be needed to determine the viability of this 5th-grade preservation plan , including its impact on programmatic needs, staffing, and overall school balance. Pre-Lottery Guidelines: Before any lottery is conducted, the district would need to: ● Establishing clear expectations for all schools regarding essential elements that will be consistent across the district (e.g., core instructional programs, academic practices, school community guidelines and features, etc.). ● Identifying areas where schools will have flexibility to develop their own culture, identity, or community practices. ● Communicating these expectations to families so they have a clear understanding of what they are selecting, and do not assume that school choices are based on the current identities or cultures of each school community.
Proposed Procedure:
1. Submission of School Preferences: ○ All current students would resubmit their preferred school(s) for the upcoming school year. ○ Families would rank their preferred schools in order of choice. 2. Priority Placement: Placements would be made according to the following priorities, in order: a. Specialized Special Education Programs: ○ Students who require placement in specialized special education programs (COMPASS, Connections, and Pathways) would be placed at the school where the program is housed. ○ Siblings of these students would be given priority for placement at the same school, filling available spaces where possible.
b. Residency Priority:
○ Boxborough residents would be given priority for placement at Blanchard Elementary School. ○ Acton residents would be given priority for placement at schools located within Acton.
c. Proximity (“Safe Walk”) Priority:
○ Students living within one mile of a school’s defined “safe walk” boundary would be given priority placement at that school.
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