Public School Choice Announcement
This is a public announcement. Public school choice in Arkansas allows students to attend a public school in a district other than the one in which they reside. Parents of students residing in school districts of the following counties: Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Perry, Pope, Van Buren and Yell who want to enroll their children in a public school located within that county have until May 1 to apply to enroll in the fall under the Arkansas Public School Choice Act.
Pursuant to standards adopted by a non-resident school board a non-resident district may reserve the right to accept or reject applicants based on capacity of programs, class, grade level, or school building. Likewise, a non-resident district’s standards may provide for the rejection of an applicant based upon the submission of false or misleading information to the above listed request for information when that information directly impacts the legal qualifications of an applicant to transfer pursuant to the School Choice Act. However, a non-resident district’s standards shall not include an applicant’s previous academic achievement, athletic, or other extra-curricular ability, handicapping conditions, English proficiency level or previous disciplinary proceedings, except that an expulsion from another district may be included under. §6-18-510. Priority will be given to applicants with siblings attending the district. The non-resident district shall accept credits towards graduation that were awarded by another district and award a diploma to a non-resident applicant if the credits towards graduation that were awarded by another district and award a diploma to a non-resident applicant if the applicant meets the non-resident district’s graduation requirements. Applications must be postmarked or delivered to the Superintendent of Schools of the non-resident district no later than May 1 for a child to be able to enroll for the fall semester, transfers shall be granted on a non-discriminatory basis. Students who have been accepted and enrolled in previous years do not have to reapply as approved transfers remain valid for as long as the student attends that public school. The districts will have until July 1 to approve or reject applications.
The following school districts comply with this public school announcement: Heber Springs, Quitman, West Side Greer’s Ferry, Nemo Vista, Wonderview, Conway, Greenbrier, Guy-Perkins, Mayflower, Mt. Vernon-Enola, Vilonia, East End, Perryville, Atkins, Dover, Hector, Pottsville, Russellville, Clinton, Shirley, South Conway County, Southside Bee Branch, Danville, Dardanelle, Two Rivers and Western Yell County.
Go to https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/offices/legal/school-choice for more information on the Arkansas Public School Choice Act.