- J
- Students
File: JECC-R (pdf)
Revised: November 1, 2021, November 8, 2022
OPEN ENROLLMENT
The Board of Education supports a variety of high quality educational programs. Students may attend their district designated neighborhood school (based on home address), or application may be made for open enrollment to another neighborhood school, a focus school (meets BVSD standards but may have a different curriculum or philosophy), or a charter school (an independent school within the district) in our school district.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Before completing the open enrollment process, parents/guardians should obtain information about the school to which they are applying so that they are informed about the program. Opportunities to visit and observe schools may be scheduled by contacting individual school offices.
- Approval of open enrollment is based on available space, programming, and staffing at the requested school. Some schools/grade levels may have no spaces to offer. When the number of applicants exceeds the number of spaces available, students will be selected by a random selection lottery.
- When a student has been enrolled in any school under the open enrollment policy, that school becomes the “school of attendance” through the highest grade offered at the school. To return to the district neighborhood school, an Open Enrollment application must be submitted during the Open Enrollment period for the following year. Approval will be granted if there is space available.
- After open enrolling to an elementary, middle or K‐8 school, and completing the highest grade in that school, students will attend their district designated neighborhood school unless they open enroll to another middle or high school. Students do not receive preference or assurance in applying for Open Enrollment to the next level school in the feeder system.
- Students who enroll in a school other than their district designated neighborhood school are responsible for their own transportation. If space is available on an existing transportation route, parents/guardians may petition for “ridership” by contacting the district’s Transportation Office at (720) 561‐5120. This petition process occurs after the school year begins. Parents/Guardians must petition every year for space available ridership.
- Misrepresentation of information will be grounds to invalidate an Open Enrollment application.
OPEN ENROLLMENT PROCESS AND TIMELINES
- Parents/guardians must complete the application process no later than 4:00 p.m. on the day of the deadline stated on the district website in order to be included in the lottery selection process.
- Parents/guardians must apply online. Parents who do not have online access are encouraged to use computers available for this purpose at many schools, and in the Open Enrollment office, during the window for open enrollment that will be advertised on the district’s website. Only one application per child may be submitted (multiple applications will be deleted).
- The lottery process runs in two sequential stages following the preferences established in this regulation:
- The first lottery will include students who live inside district boundaries and students who live outside of the district if they have a sibling attending a BVSD school (as described in preference 2 below) or a parent employed by the district (as described in preference 3 below).
- The second lottery will include out‐of‐district students to fill any seats available after the first lottery.
- The first lottery will include students who live inside district boundaries and students who live outside of the district if they have a sibling attending a BVSD school (as described in preference 2 below) or a parent employed by the district (as described in preference 3 below).
- Notification of acceptance or waitlist status will be sent to the original pool of timely applicants in the week following lottery completion.
- If a notification of acceptance is extended, parents/guardians who wish to accept the seat have 10 calendar days from the emailed notice of acceptance to:
- Indicate their acceptance in the open enrollment online system
AND, for new students or those returning after a break in enrollment,
- Complete the online enrollment process and provide any supporing documents to the accepted school. Currently enrolled BVSD students will have information updated automatically.
Unless the parent/guardian promptly accepts the offer and completes the online enrollment (if necessary), the student forfeits the seat awarded through the Open Enrollment process.
- Parents/guardians who do not receive notification of lottery results, have 10 calendar days to contact the Open Enrollment office.
- Once a student has been accepted to the first choice whether the seat is declined or not, the student will not be considered for lower choices in the open enrollment process and will receive no further notifications.
- Wait lists will be established from the applications received during the open enrollment period. Students from the wait list will be emailed or called to fill verified vacant spots, as available beginning in February through August. Any student, who missed the OE deadline, may submit an Open Enrollment application prior to the last business day of August to add the student’s name to the bottom of an established wait list. Note: The Open Enrollment cycle for Peak to Peak, Summit and Horizons is active through the last day of September.
INFORMATION REGARDING SPECIAL PROGRAMS
- Students with Disabilites: Students with an active Individual Education Plan (IEP) have the same opportunity to open enroll as their typical peers. The open enrollment application does not request information about disability status and admits all students through the lottery. Once a student has been admitted and completes the online enrollment process, the School District will convene as necessary an IEP team to determine whether the selected school can deliver a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
Contact the Special Education department at (720) 561‐5155 with questions.
- ELD: Models for delivering English Language Development services vary by school. Please contact the English Language Development department at (720) 561‐5073 with questions.
- ATHLETIC AND ACTIVITIES ELIGIBILITY: Per the Colorado High School Athletics Association guidelines, a student entering high school for the first time shall be eligible for all interscholastic athletic competition. Students transferring schools after entering high school without a qualifying move may jeopardize eligibility.
PRESCHOOL
Due to changes in Colorado law, preschool in all BVSD schools will look different in 2023-2024. More information will be available in January 2023.
DISTRICT AND SCHOOL LOTTERY SELECTION PREFERENCES
District Preferences:
These preferences apply except as otherwise noted below.
- In‐district students who move out of their district designated neighborhood school attendance area but who remain in the district and wish to remain at the school the student is currently attending.
- Sibling preferences:
- A new student, whether they reside inside or outside of the district, whose sibling has been in attendance and will be attending the requested school the following year.
- A sibling of a student accepting placement during the same open enrollment period.
- A new student, whether they reside inside or outside of the district, whose sibling has been in attendance and will be attending the requested school the following year.
Note: When multiple siblings apply for open enrollment at the same school and in choice order, they will be linked as siblings in the lottery process.
- A student of an eligible employee, whether they reside inside or outside of the district. Eligible employees are those who are at the benefit level for each of their respective employee groups, i.e. 20 hours per week or more for classified and .50 FTE for licensed and professional/technical employees.
- BVSD students wishing to return to their designated neighborhood school.
- Students who reside within the boundaries of BVSD.
- Current students who move outside the boundaries of BVSD and wish to remain at the school the student is currently attending.
- Students who reside outside the boundaries of BVSD.
Community Montessori:
- Sibling preferences as per the District’s selection process.
- Family Income
This preference applies to in district applicants who submit an optional current year economic survey as part of their open enrollment application and qualify as low‐income. Scholarships and transportation are provided for 20% of the qualifying Kindergarten‐aged children who attend full‐day Kindergarten.
- After these preferences are met, the regular selection process will apply.
Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies (BCSIS) and High Peaks:
- Sibling preferences as per the regular selection process.
- Family Income
This preference applies to in district applicants who submit an optional current year economic survey as part of their online open enrollment application, qualify as low‐income, and reside within a 1 ½ mile walking distance of the Aurora 7 school site (refer to map BCSIS/High Peaks) until 20% of the qualifying entering Kindergarten‐aged children are enrolled.
- Geographic Area
If 20% of the seats reserved for low‐income students are not filled, then
- After these preferences are met, the regular selection process will apply.
Lafayette, Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer, Ryan, and Sanchez:
Note: Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer is a Focus School and follows focus school procedures with the addition of the geographic preference below. Lafayette, Ryan, and Sanchez are Neighborhood Focus Schools and follow the neighborhood preference before the geographic preference:
- Sibling preferences as per the regular selection process.
- Geographic Area
This preference applies to applicants who reside inside the boundaries of any of the Lafayette/Erie schools of BVSD; i.e. the attendance boundaries of each school in Lafayette.
- After these preferences are met, the regular selection process will apply.
When applying to Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer or University Hill Dual Language, native English speaking students in grades 1st through 5th should have an educational background in a bilingual program and will be assessed by the school to determine program appropriateness prior to final acceptance.
Horizons K‐8 Charter:
- Children of Faculty (licensed, non‐temporary employee) employed in a licensed Faculty position of 0.25 F.T.E. or greater, whether they reside inside or outside the BVSD boundaries.
- Sibling of a student who is attending and will be attending Horizons the following year.
‐EQUAL preference with –
Children of Faculty employed in a licensed temporary full‐time, temporary part‐time or temporary job‐share Faculty position, with a one year contract of 0.25 F.T.E or greater (whether they reside inside or outside the BVSD boundaries).
- Sibling of a student who is assigned in the current year.
- Children of non‐licensed Staff in their 2nd consecutive year, or subsequent, of employment at 25% or greater (i.e., 10+ hours/week), whether they reside inside or outside the BVSD boundaries.
- Family Income Preference: In-district applicants who submit an optional current year Family Economic Data Survey as part of their online open enrollment application and qualify as low-income, until 25% of the total open enrollment slots are filled with low-income students.
- Other community preferences as already stated in BVSD Policy JECC‐R.
NOTE: If there is an enrollment opening at the time of employment, licensed employee’s children may be enrolled immediately. If there is no space available, employee will wait until the following school year or the next available space.
Preferences for Peak to Peak Charter:
(Preferences #1 through #5 are applicable whether a student resides inside or outside the boundaries of BVSD.)
- Children of teachers, administrators and counselors who are employed by Peak to Peak. This preference excludes children of person(s) holding solely a substitute position at Peak to Peak.
- Children of staff other than teachers, administrators, and counselors, who are employed at Peak to Peak for a minimum of 10 hours per week. This preference excludes children of person(s) holding solely a substitute position at Peak to Peak. Staff exercising this preference must remain in their positions through the end of the school year in which the Open Enrollment application is completed.
- Sibling of students attending Peak to Peak during the Open Enrollment application period and will be attending Peak to Peal the next school year.
- Siblings of students who are currently seniors during the open enrollment period.
- Siblings of students who have been selected for admission into Peak to Peak.
- Family income: This preference applies to in-district applicants who submit an optional Family Economic Data Survey as part of their online open enrollmnet application and qualify as low-income, until 20% of the qualifying entering K-12th grade sudents are enrolled.
- A resident sutdent, who applies during the open-enrollment periord, is placed on the waiting list, is not offered admission before the next lottery period, and re-applies for admission in the immediately successive open enrollment period.
- Alumni children: Children of resident parents/guardians who graduated from Peak to Peak.
- Students who live within the BVSD boundaries.
- Students who live outside of BVSD boundaries who have previously applied to Peak to Peak, are placed on the waiting list, are not offered admission before the next lottery period, and re-apply for admission in the immediately successive open enrollment period.
- Students who live outside the BVSD boundaries.
Preferences for Summit Charter:
- Children of school organizers and of present and former Directors.
- Children of Summit current teachers and staff residing in or out of District.
- In District siblings of currently enrolled students and Summit graduates (completed 8th grade at Summit), including those accepted in the current lottery.
- Family Income – This preference applies to in‐district applicants for 6th grade who submit an optional current year economic survey as part of their online open enrollment application and qualify as low‐income, until 10% of the qualifying entering 6th grade students are enrolled.
- In District with prior application (a student who was placed on the waitlist and declined an opportunity to enroll at Summit is not eligible for this priority).
- Students who reside within the boundaries of BVSD.
- Out of District sibling of current Summit student or a former Summit graduate.
- Out of district students.
End File: JECC‐R