Lottery Regulations: Alpha Charter of Excellence (5410)
Miami Dade County Public Charter School
School Year 2018-19
Address: 1223 SW 4 Street Miami, Florida 33135
Phone: 305-643-2132

A Tuition Free Public Charter School Enrollment Policy Alpha Charter of Excellence School (“School”) is committed to enrolling a diverse student population reflective of the local demographic. The School shall abide by Florida statutes and federal civil rights laws that forbid discrimination on the basis of race, color, nationality and ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, English proficiency, exceptionality, marital status, or gender. Pursuant to Florida statutes, the School will enroll eligible students who submit a timely application unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level or building. In such cases, all applicants shall have an equal chance of being admitted through a random selection process, subject to the admission preferences described below. In accordance with 1022.33 (10)(d), the School will give enrollment preference to populations identified by Florida statutes and agreed to in the Charter with Miami Dade County Public Schools. The School’s enrollment preferences are found in the School’s Charter and Florida Statute 1002.33 (10) (e) 4 and 7, section (10) (d) 1-3 and 5. Preference will be given to students who are siblings of students enrolled in the charter school, children of a member of the Board, and children of an employee of the charter school. The remainder of the student stations shall be open to all students residing within a reasonable distance of the school on a “first come, first served” policy as required by statute, unless the number of applicants exceeds capacity. Such students shall be subject to a random lottery and to the racial/ethnic balance provisions required by law. All students in the lottery will be assigned a waiting list number should student seats become available or capacity increases. Applications will be accepted each year during an Open Enrollment period and continuously to maintain capacity in each grade level. All applications will be date/time stamped as they are received and filed by grade level. If the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or building, a lottery will be held to determine which
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applicants are admitted. The number of seats available will be determined by the capacity of the school minus the number of students who recommit. The lottery will continue until every applicant’s name has been drawn and identified for enrollment or placed on a waiting list. All applications received after the Open Enrollment period will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list for that particular program, class, or grade level in the order in which they are received. Parents will be notified in writing of their child’s acceptance no later than forty-three (43) business days after the closing of Open Enrollment and will have fifteen days (15) business days to complete the registration process. If an accepted applicant declines to attend the school or fails to complete the registration process within fifteen (15) business days, the slot will be offered to the first applicant on the waiting list. Lottery Rules and Procedures Rules: General 1. For the purposes of the following rules, the following terms are defined as follows: a. All references to dates are defined to mean the CLOSE OF BUSINESS on the date indicated. b. Lottery refers to the selection of applicant names by a random method, including but not limited, to a system generated process or the blind drawing of applicant’s names until all applicant names have been selected. 2. Only completed Applications will be accepted. Incomplete Applications will not be considered. 3. All applicants offered a seat shall be required to complete the registration process within fifteen (15) business days of the Offer of Acceptance. If the School does not receive an applicant’s completed registration within fifteen (15) business days it will be assumed that the student is denying the Offer of Acceptance. 4. A lottery shall be conducted for all grades in which the number of applicants exceeds the number of seats available. If the number of applicants is less than the number of seats available, no lottery shall be conducted for that grade. 5. Only applications received prior to the end of the open enrollment deadline are eligible to participate in the lottery. Rules: Preferences 1. All applicants entitled to receive an initial placement preference shall be identified PRIOR to the lottery. 2. Preference status entitles an applicant to be offered an available seat prior to other applicants without a preference status. 3. All preferences shall be considered in the following hierarchy: A. Applicant sibling of a currently enrolled student. B. Applicant child of a charter board member. C. Applicant children of an employee of the charter school. Process: Applications will be made available online through our website and in paper form at the School’s office. Upon submission of an application the information is reviewed for eligibility of attendance. Proof of residence in a particular area and age requirements are verified. At each phase of the admission process the appropriate correspondence will be generated and communicated to each applicant. The data will be monitored and reports created to determine the need for a lottery, waitlists, and offers of acceptance. All accepted applicants will be provided with the registration requirements. Documentation required by the School District is collected for review and verification. The following items are generally required for all students:  Authorization for request of cumulative folder  Proof of residence  Original birth certificate  Report card, transcript  Current immunization/medical history  Home Language Survey  When appropriate, ESE, ESOL/ELL, literacy folder, and any conduct/discipline actions Procedure: Once all current students are registered and
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classes have been assigned, class size will determine the need for subsequent marketing efforts. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Prior to the School’s opening, an Open Enrollment period will be established and announced. During Open Enrollment, staff will host informative meetings in the School. These meetings will not only focus on informing the community about the School, but more specifically the meeting will provide instructions and guidance on the enrollment process. At the end of the Open Enrollment period, the School will determine if a lottery is required. Within forty-three (43) business days after the Open Enrollment period, parents will receive either an Offer of Acceptance or a waiting list number. An accepted applicant will have fifteen (15) business days from the date of the Offer of Acceptance to register in accordance with the instructions on Offer of Acceptance. If the applicant fails to register within fifteen (15) business days of the Offer of Acceptance, the Offer of Acceptance is automatically rescinded and the applicant will not be able to register. If capacity is not reached after the established Open Enrollment period, subsequent applications will be accepted in the order they are received until capacity is reached.