GOAL ACADEMY POLICY GOAL Enrollment Policy and Process

Section: J : Students
Policy Number: J-1
Policy Name: GOAL Enrollment Policy and Process Approval Authority: Board of Directors
Responsible Executive: Chief Executive Officer Responsible Office: Accountability/Compliance Originally Issued: 9/2010
Revisions: 6/21/2016, 2/27/2018, 6/26/2018, 2/25/2020

1. Policy Statement
   GOAL Academy’s Board of Directors determines that appropriate enrollment policies and processes will be set to ensure fair access to all potential students.

2. Reason for Policy
   GOAL Academy’s primary purpose is to offer hope, opportunity, and educational equity to students whose needs are not being met in a traditional school environment, specifically serving students who are at-risk for graduation. GOAL Academy is an open- enrollment, tuition-free charter public school for students throughout Colorado and is designated as an Alternative Educational Campus (AEC). In order to maintain AEC status, GOAL Academy must ensure that a minimum of 90% of the student population have at least one at-risk indicator, as specified in state statute. Enrollment priority will be given to students who meet the at-risk criteria, as specified in CRS 22-7-604, including amendments made in HB 16-1429.

3. Who Should Read This Policy All GOAL Academy Staff

4. Related Documents
   GOAL Academy Student Handbook

5. Contacts
   Sr. Director of Accountability

6. The Policy

Nondiscrimination

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GOAL Academy is subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination. GOAL Academy will not make enrollment decisions that discriminate based on disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services.

Enrollment

Students will only be admitted to GOAL Academy during Regular Enrollment or during the two- additional end-of-term enrollment periods.

Students with no AEC indicator

Regional Principals will have the discretion to accept students who do not have at least one AEC indicator, based upon available slots, ensuring that the percentage of students with no AEC indicators does not exceed 8% of the region’s total enrollment. Students with no AEC indicator will follow the regular enrollment process, with the addition of a conference with the principal prior to final acceptance. Students with no AEC indicator will be approved and accepted by the regional principal on a first-come-first-served basis. The list of AEC indicators is located at the end of this policy.

Regular Enrollment

The deadline for Regular Enrollment in GOAL Academy is the close of business on the second business day before the official Count Day. (The official pupil enrollment Count
Date is October 1 of each year, unless that date falls on a weekend, or major religious holiday. If October 1 is on a weekend, or major religious holiday, the official Count Day will be the following school day.) All students who meet all the following requirements and who are approved by the deadline will be enrolled in GOAL Academy:

1. Submit a completed enrollment form in-person or online;

2. Provide all requested documentation, including:

   1. Complete high school transcripts;*

   2. Immunization records (or signed waiver);*

   3. A birth certificate (or other approved documents);*

   4. Economic survey data form;*

   5. Colorado Residency form; and

   6. Any other requested documentation or forms;

3. Complete the required log-in.

If a student has submitted an enrollment form, but has not completed the other pre-enrollment requirements, attempts may be made to make the student aware of his or her status.

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*If a completed enrollment form is submitted by the deadline, but the other requirements are not completed, the student may begin classes at GOAL Academy High School, but all documents must be submitted in a timely manner.

Waitlist

Students can submit an enrollment application, in-person or online, at any time during the year. If the enrollment application is submitted after the Regular Enrollment deadline then the student will be added to the waitlist for the region of his or her preference, and the enrollment will be considered at the next end-of-term enrollment period. If the enrollment form is submitted after the final end-of-term deadline it will be considered a Regular Enrollment submission for the next school year.

Students on the waitlist will be enrolled in GOAL Academy when a seat becomes available in his or her region based on number assignment through a random lottery, if the waitlist exceeds the number of slots available. Students who did not enroll during Regular Enrollment will not be enrolled in GOAL Academy, nor will seats be made available to students on a waitlist, until the end-of-term enrollment period unless a student is granted a hardship exception or an exception based upon GOAL Academy’s partnership with the court system.

Hardship Exceptions

A student may be enrolled into GOAL Academy at any time if he or she receives a hardship exception. To receive a hardship exception a student must include with his or her enrollment form a hardship exception request that consists of a written explanation, not to exceed five hundred words, as to why making the student wait until the next enrollment period would be an uncommon and substantial hardship on the student’s educational progress.

Each hardship exception request will be reviewed by the Sr. Director of Accountability to

determine if an uncommon and substantial hardship on the student’s educational progress

would result from making the student wait until the next enrollment period. Within 5 business days of receiving the hardship exception request the Sr. Director of Accountability will recommend to approve or deny the request to the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer will review the request and the recommendation of the Sr. Director of Accountability and make a final decision to approve or deny the request within 5 business days of receiving the request from the Sr. Director of Accountability. If the request is approved the student will be informed and must comply with the same deadlines established for students being admitted through the lottery. If the request is denied the student must wait until the next enrollment period.

Court System Partnership

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As GOAL Academy partners with the court systems throughout the state, students who are court ordered to attend GOAL Academy, or are released from detention centers after the regular enrollment period may apply for enrollment and may be granted an exception for enrollment.

End-of-Term Enrollment

Students on a waitlist for the current school year will be offered the opportunity to enroll in GOAL mid-year (December) and mid-spring (March), based on the procedures described in this policy.

Seat availability will be determined through the following process:

In November and February of each year, the Sr. Director of Accountability and the regional principals will determine the number of available seats, the potential number of graduates, and the staffing levels within each site/region. A final determination on the number of available seats will be established by the last week of November and the last week of February.

The Sr. Director of Accountability, or designee, will conduct the selection process for all regions, and communicate the students selected to the regional principal. Student selection will be by number assignment through a random lottery from students on the waitlists.

The random lottery will be publicly held and based upon the available seats for each region on the first Monday in December and the first Monday in March of each school year. Students selected through the lottery will be contacted by the Admissions Department to inform them they have the option to enroll in GOAL Academy for the upcoming term. Offers to enroll must be accepted within 48 hours. If the student declines or does not confirm acceptance, the next student on the random lottery number assignment list will be offered the available seat.

If the student accepts, all enrollment paperwork, as outlined in this policy under Regular Enrollment, must be submitted within five business days of the date the offered seat is accepted.

If a student accepts a Mid-year Enrollment offer and then fails to fulfill all of the requirements by the applicable deadline, the school may offer the available seat to the next student on the random lottery number assignment list with a shortened deadline to complete enrollment requirements.

Students who submit an enrollment application after the final end-of-term deadline will be considered a Regular Enrollment submission for the next school year.

Non-funded Students

Up to 100 seats per year may be made available to individuals who are not eligible for public education funding, due to being over-age or some other reason. Individuals interested in

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enrolling in GOAL Academy as students for one of these seats must follow the requirements and meet the deadlines for Regular Enrollment. These seats will be filled on a first come, first- served basis, determined as when an individual completes all of the enrollment requirements. These individuals will not be included on any waitlists or in the end-of-term enrollment process.

Enrollment for students with an IEP or 504

List of AEC Indicators

(a) Has been committed to the department of human services following adjudication as a juvenile delinquent or is in detention awaiting disposition of charges that may result in commitment to the department of human services;

(b) Has dropped out of school or has four excused or unexcused absences from public school in any one month or ten excused or unexcused absences from public school during any school year. Absences due to suspension or expulsion of a student are considered absences for purposes of this indicator.

(c) Has been expelled from school or engaged in behavior that would justify expulsion;

(d) Has a documented history of personal drug or alcohol use or has a parent or guardian with a documented dependence on drugs or alcohol;

(e) Has a documented history of personal street gang involvement or has an immediate family member with a documented history of street gang involvement;

(f) Has a documented history of child abuse or neglect; has been adjudicated a ward of the court, or has been involved in the foster care system

(g) Has a parent or guardian in prison or on parole or probation; or has experienced the loss of a parent or sibling

8. (h)  Has a documented history of domestic violence in the immediate family;

9. (i)  Has a documented history of repeated school suspensions (3)

10. (j)  Is a parent or pregnant woman under the age of twenty years;

11. (k)  Is a migrant child, as defined in section 22-23-103 (2);

12. (l)  Is a homeless child, as defined in section 22-1-102.5 (2) (a);

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(m) Has a documented history of a mental or behavioral health issue or has experienced significant trauma

14. (n)  A student who has an individualized education program pursuant to section 22-20-108

15. (o)  Is over traditional school age for his or her grade level and lacks adequate credit hours

for his or her grade level. (Must be a full grade level behind in credits)

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