Admissions and Enrollment Policy and Procedures

2013-2014 School Year

The following admissions and registration procedures are pursuant to the Charles R. Drew Charter School charter, approved by Atlanta Public Schools and the State of Georgia Department of Education.

For admissions and enrollment questions, please contact Teresa Erold at teresa.erold@drewcharterschool.org

or by phone at 404-687-0001.

Drew’s lottery was held on May 7, 2013.  Please see below for information regarding accepted students and students who have a spot on the waiting list.  If you have questions, please call Drew Charter School at 404-687-0001 and ask to speak to Teresa Erold.

Students who have been offered admission for the 2013-2014 school year must complete an enrollment packet which is available at Drew Charter School.  The offer of admission much be accepted (packet completed and returned to the school) by 5:00pm on Friday, May 17, 2013 or it will expire and the spot will be offered to the next child on the waiting list. 

Students placed on the waiting list will receive a letter confirming their status on the waiting list.  Changing enrollment, particularly at the beginning of the school year, may result in more openings than announced at the lottery; however, this is impossible to predict.  If students on the waiting list are offered admission, they will have five business days to respond to the offer.  If they fail to respond by the deadline, the offer will expire and the spot will be offered to the next child on the waiting list.  Families offered a spot on the waiting list should update contact information on file with the school so they can be reached at any time between now and the start of the school year.  The waiting list is only applicable to the 2013-2014 school year.  Applications for admission for the 2014-2015 school year will be available February-April 2014.

 DREW CHARTER SCHOOL

Admission and Enrollment Policy for Kindergarten through 12^th Grade

Drew Charter School shall offer admission to and enroll students who are eligible to attend the school according to the provisions of its charter agreement and applicable law. The primary attendance zone for Drew Charter School shall be the Villages of East Lake (the “First Tier Attendance Zone”).  Students residing in the East Lake and Kirkwood neighborhoods (the “Second Tier Attendance Zone”) are eligible for enrollment to fill any remaining space, subject to a lottery (should the demand for enrollment exceed available capacity). Remaining spaces shall be filled from the Atlanta Public Schools district by lottery (the “Third Tier Attendance Zone”). The First Tier Attendance Zone, the Second Tier Attendance Zone and the Third Tier Attendance Zone are collectively referred to as the “Attendance Zones”. 

A student enrolled in Drew Charter School at the end of the academic school year shall automatically be enrolled in the school for the following academic school year provided that (i) the student continues to reside in the City of Atlanta (or the student’s parent continues to be a teacher, staff member or board member of Drew Charter School) and (ii) the student has submitted the Intent to Return form to the school by the date established annually by the Principal for the return of these forms.

As permitted by its charter and permissible under applicable law, Drew Charter School shall utilize the following statutory preferences to offer admission to the following groups of students prior to offering admission to students in its Attendance Zones: Siblings of current students of Drew Charter School; children of current teachers, staff members or board members of Drew Charter School; and children who have completed the pre-kindergarten program at (i) the East Lake Sheltering Arms Early Education and Family Center or (ii) at the Cox Pre-K at Drew Charter School. 

A student offered admission to Drew Charter School must complete the admission process within the dates specified in the student’s offer of admission, including providing satisfactory evidence of the student’s legal address of residency in the City of Atlanta (or evidence of the student’s parent’s current employment at Drew Charter School or current service on the Drew Charter School board) and any statutory preference that the student is claiming in connection with his or her admission. Upon successful completion of the admissions process, the student shall be enrolled at Drew Charter School. Failure to complete the admissions process, including providing satisfactory evidence of the student’s legal address of residency (or evidence of the student’s parent’s employment at Drew Charter School or service on the Drew Charter School board) or statutory preference, by the date specified in the student’s offer of admission shall result in a termination of the offer of admission.

Drew Charter School shall comply with the law and its charter agreement in the implementation of its Admissions and Enrollment Policy for Kindergarten through 12^th Grade. 

DREW CHARTER SCHOOL

Admission and Enrollment Policy for Pre-Kindergarten

Drew Charter School shall offer admission to and enroll students who are eligible to attend the Cox Pre-K Program (the “Pre-K Program”) at Drew Charter School according to the provisions of Drew Charter School’s application and grant agreements with Bright From the Start, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (the “DECAL Agreements”) and applicable law. The primary attendance zone for the Pre-K Program shall be the Villages of East Lake (the “First Tier Attendance Zone”).  Students residing in the East Lake and Kirkwood neighborhoods (the “Second Tier Attendance Zone”) are eligible for enrollment to fill any remaining space, subject to a lottery (should the demand for enrollment exceed available capacity). Remaining spaces shall be filled from the Atlanta Public Schools district by lottery (the “Third Tier Attendance Zone”). The First Tier Attendance Zone, the Second Tier Attendance Zone and the Third Tier Attendance Zone are collectively referred to as the “Attendance Zones”.

Drew Charter School shall utilize following preferences to offer enrollment in the Pre-K to the following groups of students prior to offering admission to students in its Attendance Zones: children enrolled and attending the Pre-School Program (3 Year Old) at the East Lake Early Learning Academy; siblings of current Drew Charter School students; and children of current teachers, staff members or board members of Drew Charter School.

A student offered admission to the Pre-K Program must complete the admission process within the dates specified in the student’s offer of admission, including providing satisfactory evidence of the student’s legal address of residency in the City of Atlanta (or evidence of the student’s parent’s current employment at Drew Charter School or current service on the Drew Charter School board) and any preference listed above that the student is claiming in connection with his or her admission. Upon successful completion of the admissions process, the student shall be enrolled in the Pre-K Program. Failure to complete the admissions process, including providing satisfactory evidence of the student’s legal address of residency (or evidence of the student’s parent’s employment at Drew Charter School or service on the Drew Charter School board) or other preference, by the date specified in the student’s offer of admission shall result in a termination of the offer of admission.

Drew Charter School shall comply with the law and the DECAL Agreements in the implementation of its Admissions and Enrollment Policy for the Pre-K Program.

Charles R. Drew Charter School 2013 Lottery
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1.  Who participates in the lottery?

A1.  All students who submitted qualifying applications by the April 30, 2013 deadline will be included in the lottery and will either be offered a space at Drew Charter School or placed on a waiting list.

Q2.  What is a qualifying application?

A2.   A qualifying application is an application that is completed with the requested information for children of the age to attend grades Pre-K through 9 who live in the city of Atlanta or are a child of a current Drew Charter School staff or board member.

Q3.  Do children who attended Drew last year go through a lottery for a space next year?

A3.  No.  All children who attended Drew last year are Drew students and will remain so for the coming school year.  This includes Pre-K students enrolled in both the Cox Pre-K Program at Drew Charter School and the East Lake Sheltering Arms Early Education & Family Center for the 2012-2013 school year.

Q4.  When will the lottery take place?

A4.  The lottery for the 2013-2014 school year will take place on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Charles R. Drew Charter School, 301 East Lake Blvd SE, Atlanta, GA 30317.

Q5.  Can I come to the lottery?

A5.  Parents/guardians and other adults are welcome to attend the lottery, however, children may not attend.

Q6.  How does the lottery work?

A6.  Applications will be organized by grade according to the school’s charter admission priorities (see Q7 below).  Each student who submitted a qualified application will be assigned a unique identification number.  The student’s unique identification number will be placed on a 3x5 index card, and all cards for each grade level will be placed in an appropriate container for the lottery drawing.

Drawings will begin with Pre-K and will continue, by grade, through grade nine. Before each grade’s drawing begins, Principal Don Doran will announce the number of spots anticipated to be available in that grade.  A representative of Drew’s certified public accounting firm, GH&I, will draw cards from the container to determine placement.  Students will be identified only by their unique identification number, not by name.  Parents who attend the lottery will be given their student’s unique identification number.

As cards are drawn, the number will be called and the number will be entered on a spreadsheet that will be projected on a large screen for easy reference by parents.  Once all cards have been drawn for the grade and the results recorded on a spreadsheet, the cards will be filed and the same process will be repeated for the next grade.

Q7.  What is the order of priority for enrollment for each grade?

A7.  The order of priority for enrollment for each grade is based on the enrollment priorities set forth in Drew’s approved charter:

Statutory Priorities:  Siblings* of students who attended Drew Charter School during the current (2012-2013) school year; Pre-K students currently enrolled in the Cox Pre-K Program at Drew and East Lake Sheltering Arms Early Education & Family Center; and the children of current teachers, staff and board members at Drew Charter School;

Primary Attendance Zone:  Students residing in The Villages of East Lake who do not currently attend Drew Charter School;

Secondary Attendance Zone:  Students residing in East Lake and Kirkwood neighborhoods who do not currently attend Drew Charter School;

Tertiary Attendance Zone:  Students residing within the city of Atlanta who do not fall under priorities one through three above.

Q8.  What is the residency requirement to attend Drew Charter School?

A8.   All students who attend Drew Charter School must reside within the city of Atlanta at the time of enrollment and throughout their time at Drew, unless they are children of current teachers, staff or board members of Drew Charter School.

Q9.  If one sibling from a family is accepted, are all other siblings automatically accepted?

A9.  No.  Siblings of students who are attending Drew during the 2012-2013 year receive priority in their respective grade levels; however, an offer of admission to a child from the lottery process does not automatically generate offers of admission to siblings.  Each student will go through the process for their applicable grade. 

Q10.  What if the student is a resident in the Villages AND a sibling of a child already enrolled?

A10.  Students who meet more than one priority will be given the highest applicable priority.

Q11.  How will I know if my child(ren) will be admitted?

A11.  As soon as practical after the completion of the lottery, the parent/guardian(s) of all children who will be offered admission will receive a phone call advising them of their acceptance.  Additionally, an acceptance letter will be sent to the home address on file.  Those who are on the waiting list will receive a letter advising them of their status on the waiting list for the applicable grade.

Q12.  What do I need to do if my child is accepted?

A12.  Parents/guardians of students who receive an offer of admission must accept or decline the offer by Friday, May 17, 2013 2013 at 5:00 p.m.  Offers may be accepted by calling the school and speaking with Teresa Erold (404-687-0001, ext. 2224) and returning the enrollment packet (including current proof of residency) included with the offer letter to Drew Charter School no later than 5:00 pm., Friday, May 17, 2013. Offers may be declined by calling Ms. Erold by Friday, May 17, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.  Offers to attend Drew that are neither accepted nor declined by 5:00 p.m., Friday, May 17, 2013 will expire and that space will be made available to the next student on the waiting list.

*Siblings are defined here as children with a shared parent/guardian who share a common legal residence.  Proof of residence will be required.

Q13.  What happens when my child’s name is put on the waiting list?

A13.  Your child will remain on the waiting list until a spot opens in the applicable grade.  Please ensure the school has your most updated contact information (address, phone numbers) so we can reach you as soon as a spot becomes available.

Q14.  What happens when my child is on the waiting list and his/her name is next in line for an offer of admission?

A14.  When your student is next in line on the waitlist and a spot becomes available, you will receive a phone call from Drew extending a verbal offer of admission.  A letter with a written offer of admission will be mailed that same day and you will have five (5) business days from the date of the letter to accept or decline the offer.  You will also need to come to the school to complete the enrollment packet (including current proof of residency).  If you do not respond to the offer by 5:00 p.m. on the fifth business day after the date of the offer letter, the offer will expire and the space will be offered to the next child on the waiting list.

Q15.  How long will my child remain on the waiting list?

A15.  Your student will remain on the waiting list until s/he is offered admission to Drew during the 2013-2014 school year, or until you elect to remove him/her from the waiting list.  The waiting list for this year will be vacated on the last day of school in May, 2014 and will not carry over to the 2014-2015 school year.  Parents/guardians may resubmit an application for the 2014-2015 school year beginning in January, 2014.  Applications for enrollment in the 2014-2015 school year will be accepted from January through April, 2014.   

Because the waiting list will contain several hundred names, Drew is exploring options to “refresh” the waiting list from time to time, and we will communicate directly with those on the waiting list and others who have expressed interest in attending Drew about how this process will work.  This communication will include what steps parents/guardians must take to remain on the waiting list throughout the 2013-2014 school year. 

Q16.  Who do I talk to if I have questions during the lottery?

A16.  There will be a Help Desk in the cafeteria during the lottery.  All questions during the lottery should be directed to the Help Desk, not to Mr. Doran or the representative of GH&I.

Q17.  If I missed the application deadline in 2013, will the application be held anyway in case the waiting list is used up?

A17.  Yes.  Applications submitted after April 30, 2013 will be logged in with the date and time received noted and added to the end of the waiting list created by the lottery.  Applications received after the lottery  has been held and the waiting list created will be recorded as to the date and time received and added to the bottom of the waiting list in the order received.

Q18. If my child is not offered a spot at Drew this year, will my application from this year carry over until next year?

A18.  No, a new application must be submitted.  Applications for enrollment in the 2014-2015 school year will be accepted from January through April, 2014.  

Q19.  Can a child of a current Drew teacher/staff or board member live outside the city of Atlanta and still be enrolled at Drew?

A19.  Yes.  This is specifically provided for in both Drew’s charter agreement and Georgia state law.