Establishment and Statement of Purpose

The General Assembly of the State of Delaware enacted an enrollment choice program within the public school system of the State for the school year beginning July 1, 1996. It is the goal of the General Assembly to increase access to educational opportunity for all children throughout the State regardless of where they may live.

School Choice Application Information

Any parent of a school age child may apply to enroll that parent's own child in a school or program in a receiving local education agency by submitting a written application, on a standard form provided by the Department of Education, to the Department of Education or to the receiving local education agency and to the district of residence on or after the first Monday in November and on or before the second Wednesday in January for enrollment during the following school year, except that a parent may apply to a receiving local education agency until the first day of the school year for enrollment in a kindergarten program during that school year. If a parent of a school age child fails to file an application by the deadline established, and good cause exists for the failure to meet the deadline, the receiving local education agency and the district of residence shall accept and consider the application in the same manner as if the deadline had been met. The parent of a school age child may withdraw the application at any time prior to action on the application by the board of the receiving local education agency by giving written notice to the boards of the receiving local education agency and the district of residence. A parent enrolling their child in kindergarten may submit the standard application form to the receiving local education agency up until the first day of the school year for enrollment in kindergarten during that school year. Pursuant to Title 14 Delaware Code § 2702(b), a child shall be considered 5 years of age if that child celebrates the child’s fifth birthday on or before August 31 of the respective year. The Laurel School District requires that all School Choice applications be accompanied by student supplemental information on attendance, discipline and academic record from home school district. All information requested is for the previous and current school year.

Criteria for Approval of Application

Any parent of a school age child may apply to enroll that parent's own child in a school or program in a receiving local education agency by submitting a written application, on a standard form provided by the Department of Education, to the Department of Education or to the receiving local education agency and to the district of residence on or after the first Monday in November and on or before the second Wednesday in January for enrollment during the following school year, except that a parent may apply to a receiving local education agency until the first day of the school year for enrollment in a kindergarten program during that school year.
If a parent of a school age child fails to file an application by the deadline established, and good cause exists for the failure to meet the deadline, the receiving local education agency and the district of residence shall accept and consider the application in the same manner as if the deadline had been met.
The parent of a school age child may withdraw the application at any time prior to action on the application by the board of the receiving local education agency by giving written notice to the boards of the receiving local education agency and the district of residence.
A parent enrolling their child in kindergarten may submit the standard application form to the receiving local education agency up until the first day of the school year for enrollment in kindergarten during that school year. Pursuant to Title 14 Delaware Code § 2702(b), a child shall be considered 5 years of age if that child celebrates the child’s fifth birthday on or before August 31 of the respective year.
The Laurel School District requires that all School Choice applications be accompanied by student supplemental information on attendance, discipline and academic record from home school district. All information requested is for the previous and current school year.

Criteria For Disapproval of Application

Disapproval of Applications may be on the basis of the following:

• Lack of capacity in a particular program or school. "Capacity" means the maximum number of students that a program or school can contain as determined solely by considerations of physical space, physical resources, and class size for each grade level. “Lack of capacity" means that the school or program calculates projected enrollment for the following academic year to be at least 85% of its capacity.
• A district which is subject to a court-ordered desegregation plan may approve and disapprove applications.

Transportation

Transportation to the choice school, without reimbursement, is the responsibility of the parent/guardian and agrees to abide by the DE State Law Title 14 Chapter 4 and the School Choice Contract of the Laurel School District. Parents are responsible for complying with established opening and dismissal times.

Interscholastic Sports

Students shall be governed by the Rules of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association with regard to eligibility of transferring students. A student enrolled in grades 10 through 12, inclusive, in a receiving district shall not be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletic contests or competitions during the 1st year of enrollment in any receiving district if the student was enrolled in a different receiving district during the preceding school year unless the interscholastic sport in which the student wishes to participate is not offered in the receiving district in which the student was enrolled in the previous school year.

Pupils Suspended, Expelled or Truant in District of Residence

If a child for whom an application has been submitted has been suspended or expelled, or has been absent from school without a valid excuse for more than 15 school days during a school year, in the district of residence, the Laurel Board of Education may, in its sole discretion, refuse to consider the application or refuse to approve the application, or refuse to enroll the child, until the child has been reinstated in the district of residence, provided, however that nothing in this section shall be construed to enlarge upon the authority of any district to accept for re-enrollment any student who has been expelled from a school district in this State, as such authority is limited by the provisions of § 4130 of Title 14. "Valid excuse" shall have the same meaning as in § 2721 of Title 14.