Enroll

SVA shall require students who wish to attend the Charter School to complete an application form by the announced deadlines. SVA will not require any monetary or other contribution as a condition for application, admission, enrollment, or participation in any of the Charter School’s required educational activities. Upon admission, students will be required to submit an enrollment packet which shall include the following:
1. Completion of Student enrollment form
2. Proof of Immunization
3. Home Language Survey
4. Completion of Emergency Medical Information Form
5. Proof of minimum age requirements
6. Release of records, including authorization for the Charter School to request and receive documents from the schools the student has attended or currently attends.

Shanél Valley Academy recognizes the close partnership that is needed with parents and families in order to support our Charter School’s mission. During our founding stages, we have cultivated these partnerships with some residents and parents who have led and contributed to our community outreach efforts. The Founding Families admission preference is applicable to children of SVA’s Founders even if the children do not begin attending the Charter School until after the first year of the Charter School’s operation.

If the number of students who wish to attend SVA exceeds the Charter School’s capacity, admission to SVA, except for existing students, are guaranteed admission in the following school year, shall be determined by public random drawing in accordance with the admission preferences specified below. Applications will be accepted during a publicly advertised open application period each year for enrollment in the following school year. Following the open enrollment period each year, applications shall be counted to determine whether any grade level has received more applications than availability. If the number of applications exceeds the Charter School’s capacity, a public random drawing for each grade level will be conducted. SVA shall offer admission preferences to the following students in the following order:

1. Children of current SVA teachers and staff and Founding Families
2. Siblings of students admitted to or attending SVA or graduates of SVA residing within the boundaries of the District.
3. Siblings of students admitted to or attending SVA or graduates of SVA residing outside the boundaries of the District.
4. Students who reside in the attendance boundaries of SVA
5. Students residing within the boundaries of the District
6. All other students who wish to attend the Charter School

SVA and the District agree to adhere to the requirements related to admission preferences as set forth in Education Code Section 47605(e)(2)(B)(i)-(iv). At the conclusion of the public random drawing, all students who were not granted admission due to capacity shall be given the option to put their name on a waitlist according to their draw in the public random drawing. This wait list will allow students the option of enrollment in the case of an opening during the currency school year. In no circumstance will a waitlist carry over to the following school year.

Families who submitted completed application forms prior to the deadline will be notified in writing regarding the date, time, and location of the public lottery, and rules for the lottery process, at least two weeks prior to the public random drawing date. Families do not have to be present to participate in the lottery. The lottery drawing will be held on school grounds or in a public space large enough to accommodate all who are interested. SVA will ensure that the lottery space is large enough to accommodate all who are interested. SVA will take all necessary efforts to ensure that the lottery process will be:

1. Public, transparent, and fair in its execution
2. Held in a public space large enough to accommodate all interested
3. Facilitated by an uninterested party charged with conducting the process Lottery spaces are pulled in order of grade level by the designated lottery official (appointed by the Principal). Separate lotteries shall be conducted for each grade in which there are fewer vacancies than pupils interested in attending. All lotteries shall take place on the same day in a single location. Lotteries will be conducted in ascending order beginning with the lowest applicable grade level. There is no weighted priority assigned to the preference categories; rather, within each grade level, students will be drawn from pools beginning with all applicants who qualify for the first preference category, and shall continue with that preference category until all vacancies within that grade level have been filled. If there are more students in a preference category than there are spaces available, a random drawing will be held from within that preference category until all available spaces are filled. If all students from the preference category have been selected and there are remaining spaces available in that grade level, students from the second preference category will be drawn in the lottery, and the drawing shall continue until all spaces are filled and preference categories are exhausted in the order provided above.

Our extensive outreach and recruiting efforts will ensure that the applicants and those in the lottery will reflect the demographics of the District.

The school does not discriminate against any student on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, family military status, or disability. The school does not discourage a student from enrolling or seeking to enroll in the school for any reason, including, but not limited to, academic performance of the student or because the student exhibits any of the following characteristics: academically low-achieving, economically disadvantaged, English learner, foster youth, homeless, neglected or delinquent. The school shall not request a student’s records or require the parent, guardian, or student to submit the student’s records to the school before enrollment. The school shall not encourage a student currently attending the school to disenroll from the school or transfer to another school for any reason (except for suspension or expulsion). (Cal. Ed. Code Section 47605(d)(4)) If the charter school discourages enrollment, requires records before enrollment, or encourages a student to disenroll, a parent or guardian may submit a complaint to the charter school authorizer using the Charter School Complaint Form.