The
following timeline applies to the Arkansas Public School Choice Act of
2015.
January
1 - May 1: In accordance with Act 490 of 2021 (codified at Ark.
Code Ann. § 6-18-1905(a)), the window period for applicant filing and school
districts accepting school choice applications for the 2022-2023 school year
begins on January 1, 2022 and runs through May 1, 2022. Each school
district must have a policy stating the methods by which an application may be
submitted to the school district, but in no event may the district require that an
application be submitted in person.
Applicants
must submit school choice applications to the nonresident district and the
student's resident district. The application must be delivered or
postmarked no later than May 1 of the calendar year in which the student seeks
to begin the fall semester at the nonresident district. However, if a student
has a parent or guardian who is an active-duty member of the military who has
been transferred to and resides on a military base, and who provides military
transfer orders and documentation that confirms the date of transfer to and
residence on the military base, then the student's application for a transfer
is not subject to the May 1 deadline. Instead, the applicant must file an
application for a transfer within fifteen (15) days of the parent or guardian's
arrival on the military base and must include the above documents.
Upon
receipt of a school choice application, both the resident district and
nonresident district shall place a date and time stamp on the application that
reflects the date and time each district received the application. The
nonresident district shall review and make a determination on each application
in the order in which the application was received by the nonresident
district.
By
July 1: The superintendent of the nonresident district shall
notify each applicant and the applicant's resident district in writing as to
whether the application has been accepted or rejected. Before approving
or rejecting any application, a nonresident district shall determine whether
any limitations under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-1906 apply to the application and
whether the resident district has met its numerical net maximum limit on school
choice transfers under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-1906. Ark. Code Ann. §
6-18-1906(b) establishes a numerical net maximum limit on school choice
transfers each school year from a school district of three percent (3%) of the
enrollment of the school district as of October 15 of the immediately preceding
school year. The attached document shows the total enrollment for each
district and the number of student representing the three percent (3%) of total
enrollment.
If
an applicant has been rejected due to the numerical net maximum limit prior to
the July 1 deadline, then the applicant shall retain priority for a transfer until
July 1, being reconsidered if the resident district is no longer at the
numerical net maximum limit. The resident district shall promptly notify
the nonresident district when it is no longer at its numerical net maximum
limit.
A
link to the current school choice form and FAQs, as well as the Division's
Rules Governing Public School Choice, can be found at: Division of Elementary and Secondary Education - Offices - Legal Services - School Choice (arkansas.gov)
(arkansas.gov)