STUDENT APPLICATION

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HOW TO APPLY TO THE SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM:

Definitions:

“Choice District” means the DOE authorized school district you want to attend.

“Sending District” means the public school district which you are attending or in which you live.

STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS: FIRST TIER
(First tier students are public school students who have attended their Sending District for one year.)

If you have not attended a public school in your sending district for one year, are a non-public school student, or are applying to kindergarten and do not have a sibling already attending the choice district, please see Student Application Process: Second Tier below. See also Student Application Timelines for application deadlines.

  
Parent: Step 1

Contact the Choice District you want to attend. You will find a description of each Choice District, the seats available, and the telephone number of the district's Parent Information Center here: http://www.nj.gov/education/choice/districts/

Parent: Step 2

Obtain the following forms from that Choice District:

• Notice of Intent to Participate in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program (“Notice of Intent to Participate”)

NOTE: This form is also available on this web site at Student Application Forms.

• Application for Enrollment in a Choice District (available from the district)

Parent: Step 3

Complete the Notice of Intent to Participate form, make two copies, and deliver the Notice of Intent to your Sending District in one of three ways:

• By Mail:  Mail the Notice of Intent to Participate to your Sending District via certified mail, return receipt requested.
• Hand Delivery:  Deliver the Notice of Intent to Participate directly to your Sending District and request a signed and dated receipt from the person to whom you deliver the Notice of Intent to Participate; or
• Choice District Delivery:  Deliver the Notice of Intent to Participate to your Choice District and they will deliver it to your Sending District.

NOTE: It is essential that you obtain and keep a signed and dated receipt for the delivery of the Notice of Intent to Participate in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program.

A sample form for this confirmation may be obtained in the Sending District Procedures section of this website.

Sending District: Step 1

Upon receipt of a Notice of Intent to Participate, the district must verify:

• that the student is a resident of the district;
• that the student has been counted on the district's October Application for State School Aid (ASSA) for the current school year; and
• that the student is attending the district public school identified on their Notice of Intent form in the current school year.

Sending District: Step 2

Upon verification of the information listed above, the district must send the Confirmation Form for Student Participation in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program to the parent or guardian of the student, indicating that the student is an eligible public school student. The notification must be received by the parent or guardian by November 22.

In the event that the district finds that it cannot verify the information listed above for a particular student, the district must send a Confirmation Form to the parent or guardian of that student, indicating that the student is not an eligible public school student for the first tier application process.

Mail the notification via certified mail, return receipt requested.

Parent: Step 4

Complete the Application for Enrollment in a Choice District and deliver it to the Choice District.  Each Choice District prepares its own application form. Contact each district to which you are interested in applying and request the correct application form.
If you received from your Sending District a Confirmation Form to Parent For Student Participation in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program that says your child may participate in the program, attach the notification to your Application for Enrollment in the Choice District.
Make a copy of your application and the notification for your records.

NOTE:  In the event that, after receiving the Notice of Intent to Participate form, the Sending District fails to provide notification by November 22 to the student's parent or legal guardian stating whether or not the student may participate in the school choice program, then that student may apply without the notification from the Sending District. The Department of Education suggests that you note directly on your application that you have not received the notification from your district of residence.

To ensure the delivery of the application by the due date, use one of the following:

• mail the application to the Choice District via certified mail, return receipt requested; or
• deliver the application to the Choice District in person, and obtain a signed and dated receipt from the person who receives the application at the choice district.

NOTE: It is essential that you obtain and keep a signed and dated receipt for the delivery of your completed application.

Choice District: Step 1

Upon receipt of the Application for Enrollment in a Choice District, the Choice District must first check whether the application is complete. A complete application should contain, in addition to the student's name, address and telephone number:

• the name of the student's Sending District and the school the student is currently attending;
• the grade in which the student is enrolled during the current school year;
• a copy of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) where appropriate;
• the Confirmation Form for Student Participation from the Sending District stating that the student may participate in the school choice program; and
• any specific information required by the Choice District in its application.

Choice District: Step 2

If by December 1 the Choice District receives completed applications from as many or fewer students than the number of seats available in the Choice District for the following academic year, the Choice District should send a Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection to Parent/Legal Guardian of Student Applicant in response to each application received.

The Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection should include a Notice of Intent to Enroll Student in the Choice District for the parent or legal guardian to complete and return to the Choice District. The Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection must be received by the parent or guardian by January 4. The Department of Education suggests that you mail the notice via certified mail, return receipt requested.

If by December 1 the Choice District receives completed applications from more students than the number of seats available in the Choice District for the following academic year, the district must conduct a lottery for those grades or programs in which the number of applications exceeds the number of seats available. The results of the lottery will determine which students who have filed completed applications will be conditionally accepted as choice students for the following school year, and which students will be placed on the waiting list that must be established by the district.

NOTE: Before conducting the lottery, the Choice District may give preference to siblings of choice students already enrolled in the Choice District.

Each participant in the lottery must be assigned a number reflecting the student's place on the list of accepted students or on the waiting list.

Upon completion of the lottery, the district must send the Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection to the parent or guardian of each student who is eligible to enroll in the Choice District based on the results of the lottery.

The Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection should include the Notice of Intent to Enroll form for the parent or guardian to complete and return to the Choice District. The Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection must be receivedby the parent or guardian by January 4.
The Department of Education suggests that you mail the “Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection” via certified mail, return receipt requested.

Upon completion of the lottery, the Choice District must notify the parent or guardian of each student who has been placed on the waiting list in the Choice District based on the results of the lottery.

This notice must include information about the waiting list established by the Choice District as a result of the lottery, and must be received by the parent or guardian by January 4.

The Department of Education suggests that you mail this notice via certified mail, return receipt requested.

Note:Parents or guardians who receive notice that their child has been placed on the waiting list for the Choice District should skip to the section entitledCHOICE DISTRICT NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF STUDENTS ON CHOICE DISTRICT WAITING LIST.

Parent: Step 5

Parents or guardians who receive the Notice of Conditional Acceptance or Rejection from the Choice District must decide whether or not to enroll the student in the Choice District for the following school year.

If the parent or guardian decides not to enroll the student in the Choice District, the parent or guardian does not have to submit the Notice of Intent to Enroll to the Choice District; however, the parent/guardian should inform the Choice District as a courtesy.
If the parent or guardian decides to enroll the student in the Choice District, the parent or guardian should complete the Notice of Intent to Enroll.

Make a copy of the Notice of Intent to Enroll for your records.

The Notice of Intent to Enroll must be received by the Choice District by January 13.

Mail the Notice of Intent to Enroll via certified mail, return receipt requested.

If you deliver the Notice of Intent to Enroll directly to the Choice District, you should obtain a signed and dated receipt from the person to whom you deliver it.

Choice District Step 3:

In the event that, by January 13, the Choice District has received fewer Notices of Intent to Enroll than the number of seats available in the Choice District for the following school year, the Choice District must send Notices of Conditional Acceptance, in the order assigned through the Choice District's previously held lottery, to students on the waiting list up to the number of the remaining available seats.

The Notice of Conditional Acceptance should include the Notice of Intent to Enroll form for the parent or guardian to complete and return to the Choice District. The Notice of Conditional Acceptance must be received by the parent or guardian by January 20.
Mail the Notice of Conditional Acceptance via certified mail, return receipt requested.

Upon notification by the Choice District or receipt of the Notice of Conditional Acceptance from the Choice District, the parent or guardian must decide whether or not to enroll the student in the Choice District for the following school year, and must notify the Choice District as soon as possible before January 25.

If the parent or guardian decides to enroll the student in the Choice District, the parent or guardian should complete the Notice of Intent to Enroll, make a copy, and deliver it to the Choice District before JANUARY 25.

STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS: SECOND TIER
(Second Tier students include school-age residents of New Jersey who have not attended a public school in their Sending District for one year, are attending a non-public school, or are applying for kindergarten and do not have a sibling already attending the Choice District)

Parent/Legal Guardian: Step 1

Contact the Choice District you want to attend. You will find a description of each Choice District, the seats available in the district, and the telephone number of the district's Parent Information Center at Approved Choice Districts.

Parent/Legal Guardian: Step 2

Complete the Application for Enrollment in a Choice District, make a copy for your records, and deliver it tothe Choice District.  Each Choice District may have additional requirements for application to its program, and may have a district-specific application form. Therefore, you should contact the Parent Information Center at the district to which you are applying and request the correct application form.

Choice District: Step 1

Upon receipt of the Application for Enrollment in a Choice District by a Second Tier applicant, the Choice District must first check whether the application is complete.

A complete application should contain, in addition to the student's name, address and telephone number:

• the name of the student's Sending District and/or the school the student is currently attending;
• the grade in which the student is enrolled during the current school year or the grade the student is applying for;
• a copy of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) where appropriate; and
• any specific information required by the Choice District in its application.

Choice District: Step 2

After receiving  all applications from Second Tier Applicants, if the Choice District has received more applications than seats available in any grade level that it has opened, (including those applications from First Tier Applicants), then the Choice District shall conduct a lottery of all Second Tier applicants to assign positions to those Second Tier Applicants.

Choice District: Step 3

As soon as the Choice District has filled all available seats with First Tier applicants, it may begin to notify those Second Tier Applicants, in order by lottery position, of their conditional acceptance, until all available seats have been filled.

Parent/Legal Guardian: Step 3

If the parent or guardian decides to enroll the student in the Choice District, the parent or guardian should complete the Notice of Intent to Enroll form, make a copy, and deliver the form to the Choice District by February 3.   Late enrollments up to February 9 will be considered if circumstances warrant.

Choice District: Step 3

As soon as the Choice District has filled all available seats, it will notify all Sending (Resident) Districts of these enrollments and deliver to each Sending District a Choice School Application for Transportation Services.  This application and a procedures manual is available on our website under “Transportation Information.”

Choice District Step 4:

Final Enrollment Data including all First and Second Tier Enrollments, is due to the Department of Education by February 10, 2012.

Interdistrict Public School Choice Program
New Jersey State Department of Education
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0500