Interdistrict Public School Choice Student Application Process Cycle 1

Interdistrict Public School Choice

STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS: FIRST CYCLE*
See also Student Application Timelines

* If you have not begun the Student Application Process before November 3 go to STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS: SECOND CYCLE

Sections referring to activities to be completed by parents are shown in blue.
Sections referring to activities to be completed by districts of residence are shown in violet.
Sections referring to activities to be completed by choice districts are shown in teal.

PARENTS
NOTICE OF INTENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
INTERDISTRICT PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM
must be received by district of residence by
NOVEMBER 3

Contact the choice district to which you are interested in applying. 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.

Obtain the following forms from the choice district:

Notice of Intent to Participate in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program (Notice of Intent to Participate)
Application for Enrollment in a Choice District
NOTE: These forms are also available on this web site at Student Application Forms.

Complete the Notice of Intent to Participate.

Make a copy of the Notice of Intent to Participate for yourself and one for the choice district.

Call the Parent Information Center for the choice district to which you are applying and ask for the choice district's procedure for filing the Notice of Intent to Participate with your district of residence.

The Notice of Intent to Participate must be received by your district of residence by November 3.

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

mail the Notice of Intent to Participate to your district of residence via certified mail, return receipt requested; or
deliver the Notice of Intent to Participate directly to the Superintendent of your district of residence, getting a signed and dated receipt from the person to whom you deliver the Notice of Intent to Participate; or
if instructed to do so by the choice district, take the Notice of Intent to Participate to the designated person at the choice district to which you are applying, so that choice district personnel can deliver the Notice of Intent to Participate to your district of residence. Obtain a signed and dated receipt from the person to whom you deliver the Notice of Intent.

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.

Provide a copy of your Notice of Intent to Participate to the choice district to which you are applying.

DISTRICT OF RESIDENCE
NOTIFICATION TO PARENT OR GUARDIAN RE STUDENT PARTICIPATION
IN THE INTERDISTRICT PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM
must be received by parent or guardian by
NOVEMBER 25

Every New Jersey school district is entitled to pass a resolution limiting participation of its resident students in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program.

IF A DISTRICT HAS NOT PASSED A RESOLUTION LIMITING PARTICIPATION OF ITS RESIDENT STUDENTS IN THE INTERDISTRICT PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM, the following apply:

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;
that the student is attending the district public school identified on the Application in the current school year.

Upon verification of the information listed above, the district must send a Notification to Parent or Guardian re Student Participation in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program to the parent or guardian of the student, indicating that the student may participate in the school choice program.

The notification must be received by the parent or guardian by November 25.

The department suggests that you mail the notification via certified mail, return receipt requested.

In the event that the district finds that it cannot verify the information listed above for a particular student, the district must send a notification to the parent or guardian of that student, indicating that the student may not participate in the school choice program and providing the reason for its decision.

The department suggests that you mail the notification via certified mail, return receipt requested.

IF A DISTRICT HAS PASSED A RESOLUTION LIMITING PARTICIPATION OF ITS RESIDENT STUDENTS IN THE INTERDISTRICT PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM, the following apply:

If by November 3 the district receives Notices of Intent to Participate from as many as or fewer than the number of students permitted to participate in the school choice program under the resolution passed by the district, for each 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 ASSA for the current school year;
that the student is attending the district public school identified on the application in the current school year.

Upon verification of the information listed above, the district must send a Notification to Parent or Guardian re Student Participation in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program to the parent or guardian of each student, indicating that the student may participate in the school choice program.

The notification must be received by the parent or guardian by November 25.

The department suggests that you mail the notification via certified mail, return receipt requested.

If by November 3 the district receives Notices of Intent to Participate from more students than the number of students permitted to participate in the school choice program under the resolution passed by the district, for each Notice of Intent to Participate the district must verify the following:

that the student is a resident of the district;
that the student has been counted on the district's October ASSA for the current school year; and
that the student is attending the district public school identified on the application in the current school year.

Upon verification of the information listed above, the district must conduct a lottery including all eligible students who have filed Notices of Intent to Participate in order to:

identify which students will be eligible to participate in the school choice program; and
develop a waiting list of the remaining students to be used in the second application cycle.

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

Upon completion of the lottery, the district must send a notification to the parent or guardian of each student, either

indicating that the student may participate in the school choice program, or
indicating that the student has been placed on the waiting list and providing the waiting list number assigned to the student.

The notification must be received by the parent or guardian by November 25.

The department suggests that you mail the notification via certified mail, return receipt requested.

The department suggests that you mail the notification via certified mail, return receipt requested.

In the event that the district of residence fails to provide timely notification to the student's parent or legal guardian stating whether or not the student may participate in the school choice program, then the student may participate in the school choice program without the notification from the district of residence.

PARENTS
APPLICATION FOR ENROLLMENT IN A CHOICE DISTRICT
must be received by the choice district by
DECEMBER 5

Complete the Application for Enrollment in a Choice District.

You may use the application form available on this web site at Student Application Forms.
However, each choice district may have additional requirements for application to its program, and may have a district-specific application form. Therefore, the department strongly recommends that you contact the Parent Information Center at the district to which you are interested in applying and request the correct application form to use for that district.

If you have received from your district of residence a Notification to Parent or Guardian re 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.

In the event that the district of residence fails to provide timely notification to the student's parent or legal guardian stating whether or not the student may participate in the school choice program, then the student may participate in the school choice program without the notification from the district of residence.

If you have not received a notification from your district of residence when it is time to submit your application to the choice district, you should submit the application without the notification.

The department suggests that you note directly on your application that you have not received the notification from your district of residence.

Make a copy of your application for your records.

The application must be received by the choice district by December 5.

In order 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.

If you have previously submitted your application to the choice district without a copy of the notification from your district of residence, you should either:

forward to the choice district a copy of the notification to be attached to your application; or
notify your choice district in writing that you did not receive a notification from your district of residence by November 25.

CHOICE DISTRICT
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE/NOTICE OF REJECTION
TO PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN OF STUDENT APPLICANT
must be received by parent or legal guardian by
JANUARY 6

Upon receipt of an 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 student's district of residence;
- the school the student is attending during the current school year;
- the grade in which the student is enrolled during the current school year;
- copy of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) where appropriate;
- a Notification to Parent or Guardian re Student Participation from the sending district stating that the student may participate in the school choice program;*
- any specific information required by the choice district in its application.
*In the event that the district of residence fails to provide timely notification to the student's parent or legal guardian stating whether or not the student may participate in the school choice program, then the student may participate in the school choice program without the notification from the district of residence.

If by December 5the choice district receives completed applications from as many as or fewer than students than the number of seats available in the choice district for the following academic year, the choice district should send a Notice of Acceptance to Parent/Legal Guardian of Student Application in response to each application received.

The Notice of Acceptance should include a Notice of Intent to Enroll Student in Choice District for the parent or legal guardian to complete and return to the choice district.

The notice of acceptance must be received by the parent or guardian by January 6.

The department suggests that you mail the notice of acceptance via certified mail, return receipt requested.

The choice district may want to include information about the second application cycle, such as the Student Application Timelines for the second cycle, in its letter to the student's parent or guardian.

If by December 5the choice district receives completed applications from more students than the number of seats available in the choice district for the following academic year, for those grades or programs in which the number of applications exceeds the number of seats available the district must conduct a lottery. The results of the lottery will determine which students who have filed completed applications will be 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 a notice of acceptance 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 acceptance should include a notice of intent for the parent or guardian to complete and return to the choice district.

The notice of acceptance must be received by the parent or guardian by January 6.

The department suggests that you mail the notice of acceptance via certified mail, return receipt requested.

Upon completion of the lottery, the district must send a notice of rejection to 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.

The notice of rejection must include information about the waiting list established by the district as a result of the lottery.

The notice of rejection must be received by the parent or guardian by January 6^.

The department suggests that you mail the notice of rejection via certified mail, return receipt requested.

PARENTS
NOTICE OF INTENT TO ENROLL STUDENT IN THE CHOICE DISTRICT
must be received by the choice district by
JANUARY 15

Parents or guardians who receive a Notice of Rejection indicating that their child has been placed on the waiting list for the choice district should skip to the section entitled CHOICE DISTRICT NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF STUDENTS ON CHOICE DISTRICT WAITING LIST.

Upon receipt of the notice of 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.

If the parent or guardian decides not to enroll the student in the choice district, the parent or guardian may simply not complete and return the notice of intent to enroll to the choice district.

While not required, it would be helpful to the choice district if the parent or guardian would inform the choice district of the decision not to enroll the student.

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 15.

The department suggests that you 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, the department suggests that you obtain a signed and dated receipt from the person to whom you deliver the notice of intent to enroll.

CHOICE DISTRICT
NOTIFICATION TO DISTRICT OF RESIDENCE
OF ENROLLMENT OF CHOICE STUDENT

Within ten days of receipt of a notice of intent to enroll from the parent or guardian of a choice student, the choice district must notify the student's district of residence that the student has filed a notice of intent to enroll in the choice district for the following school year.

CHOICE DISTRICT
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF STUDENTS
ON CHOICE DISTRICT WAITING LIST
must be received by parents/guardians by
JANUARY 27

In the event that, by January 15, 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 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 acceptance should include a notice of intent to enroll for the parent or guardian to complete and return to the choice district.

The notice of acceptance must be received by the parent or guardian by January 27.

The department suggests that you mail the notice of acceptance via certified mail, return receipt requested.

PARENTS
NOTICE OF INTENT TO ENROLL STUDENT IN CHOICE DISTRICT
must be received by choice district by
FEBRUARY 5

Upon receipt of the notice of 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.

If the parent or guardian decides not to enroll the student in the choice district, the parent or guardian may simply not complete and return the notice of intent to enroll to the choice district.

While not required, it would be helpful to the choice district if the parent or guardian would inform the choice district of the decision not to enroll the student.

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 February 5.

The department suggests that you mail the notice of intent to enroll via certified mail, return receipt requested.

CHOICE DISTRICT
NOTIFICATION TO DISTRICT OF RESIDENCE
OF ENROLLMENT OF CHOICE STUDENT

Within ten days of receipt of a notice of intent to enroll from the parent or guardian of a choice student, the choice district must notify the student's district of residence that the student will be attending the choice district in the following school year.

THIS COMPLETES THE STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE FIRST CYCLE.

Go to STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS: SECOND CYCLE

Introduction Annual Report Approved Choice Districts
Student Application: Process | Timelines | Forms
Becoming a Choice District Application to Become a Choice District
Sending District Procedures Interdistrict Public School Choice Act of 1999
Interdistrict Public School Choice Regulations School Choice Transportation Regulations