Enrollment

Pursuant to the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, Plyer vs. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001, all homeless children and youth, migrant, immigrant, foster care and English Learners must have equal access to the same free appropriate public education, including public preschool education, provided other children and youth. This shall be the policy of i3 Academy. Such children will be provided the opportunity to meet the same challenging state content and state student performance standards to which all students are held without being stigmatized or isolated.

The enrollment of homeless children and youth, migrant, immigrant, foster care and English Learners shall not be denied or delayed due to any of the following barriers:

• Lack of birth certificate
• Lack of school records or transcripts
• Lack of immunization or health records
• Lack of proof of residency
• Lack of transportation
• Guardianship or custody requirements

To be eligible to attend i3 Academy, a student must fulfill the following requirements:

1. Be of appropriate age and/or meet the promotion requirements for a given grade level.

2. Be an Alabama resident. Per Section 1 of the Guidelines for Alabama

Public Charter Schools:

“Any child who is eligible for attendance in public schools in the state may be eligible to attend a public charter school in Alabama. A public charter school is open to any student residing in Alabama. The residence of a student is the domicile of the student’s custodial parent who may be the parent, guardian, or other person or entity having legal custody of the child. A public charter school cannot limit student admission based on ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, income level, disability, proficiency in the English language, or academic or athletic ability. Student admission may be limited to students within a given age group or grade level.”

In remaining consistent with current Alabama law regarding charter school enrollment eligibility, i3 Academy’s enrollment priority grouping will be structured in the following manner:

PRIORITY A:

1. Students who were enrolled in i3 Academy the previous academic year, and siblings of students currently enrolled in i3 Academy Charter School.

a. Siblings who participate in the same lottery for the same grade (e.g. twins) shall be considered as a group. Provided capacity permits, if one sibling is chosen in the lottery, then all other siblings will automatically be offered the next available spot for enrollment as well.

b.If a lower-grade level sibling is accepted, their older siblings will be moved to the top of the waitlist for higher-grades, but won’t be guaranteed spots.

PRIORITY B:

1. Students whose parent(s) or guardian(s) are a member of the governing board, or a full-time employee of i3 Academy Charter School regardless of where they reside. These students may make up no more than ten percent of the total student population if i3 Academy Charter School’s enrollment capacity has not been reached.a.

a.Grandchildren, nieces, and nephews do not receive the children of employees and board members enrollment preference.

b.“Employee” includes anyone on i3 Academy’s payroll, including part-time and full-time employees; however, it does not include those contracted through a third-party vendor or contracted by i3 Academy.

PRIORITY C:

1. Students residing within the Woodlawn Community

a.“Woodlawn Community” consists of the following formal City of Birmingham neighborhoods: East Avondale, Oak Ridge Park, South Woodlawn, and Woodlawn.

PRIORITY D:

1. Students residing within a neighborhood consistent with the Birmingham City School District Woodlawn High School Feeder Pattern that is not listed in Priority C.

a.Woodlawn High School Feeder Pattern catchment area includes the following City of Birmingham defined neighborhoods: Brown Springs, Crestline, Crestwood North, Crestwood South, East Avondale (included in Priority C) East Birmingham, East Lake, Eastwood, Forest Park, Gate City, Highland Park, Kingston, North Avondale, North East Lake, Oak Ridge Park (included in Priority C), Overton, Redmont Park, South East Lake (partial), South Woodlawn (included in Priority C), Wahouma, and Woodlawn (included in Priority C).

b.If the Woodlawn High School Feeder Pattern changes, the board will have full authority to review existing geographic preferences and make revisions to align with neighborhood-serving mission and vision.

PRIORITY E:

1.  Students who currently have residence in one of the 99 formal neighborhoods in the City of Birmingham and are zoned to attend a school within the Birmingham City School System.

The PowerSchool admission lottery system is a randomized system which determines applicant consideration in the event that there are more applicants for admission into i3 Academy than available spaces. The utilized platform for the lottery system will be PowerSchool. At no point will any administrator, teacher, employee, board member or other entity or person have influence over lottery selection. i3 Academy reserves the right to make other changes to its enrollment policies to reflect its missions, its charter, and applicable law. The results of the lottery will be disseminated to affected parties at the discretion of the administration of i3 Academy.

The application for enrollment and admissions into i3 Academy will be accessible and facilitated through PowerSchool. The application and registration process will require of students and parents or guardians satisfactory evidence of the following documents:

1. Student Birth Certificate
2. Student Record of Immunization
3. Proof of Residency

a. Acceptable documents for showing proof of residency include: Alabama power bill, lease, or tax notice.

4. Custody paperwork (if applicable) - must be a certified court document showing physical custody of child

5.Withdrawal paper and/or report card from previous school

Admission into i3 Academy will be contingent on completion of the application, satisfactory evidence of the above mentioned documents, and compliance with eligibility requirements in the preceding section. A student admitted into i3 must finalize registration within the specified timeframe as indicated in the admission and acceptance notification. Failure to adhere to any of the aforementioned requirements may result in rescindment of the students admission offer.

In the event that the number of applicants exceeds the number of available seats for students, it is i3 Academy’s policy to place eligible students on a waitlist. As seats at i3 Academy become available, students will be selected from the waitlist in prioritized order congruent with the proposed priority groupings listed above.

NON-ACCREDITED EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

Students requesting enrollment to any i3 Academy school from any school setting not accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Alabama State Board of Education, such as “homeschool,” church umbrella, or online schools, etc. will be placed according to procedures outlined in the ALSDE Administrative Code of Alabama 290-3-1.

A student transferring from any educational setting, public or private, will not be permitted to enroll until they have satisfied the terms of suspension or expulsion set by the suspending or expelling board of authority, which would allow the student to be readmitted to the original authority.  Additional admission prerequisite requirements may be established by the Board or administrative designee that may include remote learning, counseling, and psychological evaluation and services.

CUSTODY

Only a parent/person who is the sole legal and physical custodian, the joint legal and physical custodian, or the legal guardian of a child as established by Alabama statute, case law, or a judge’s order may enroll a child in i3 Academy Schools.

Delegation of Authority:  A Delegation of Parental Authority, Ala. Code 26-2A-7, does not establish residence for the purpose of school enrollment.  The mere filing of a Dependent complaint, Custody Affidavit and Petition, ALA. Code 26-2A-75, in Jefferson County Family Court does not create the necessary parental or custodial relationship required to establish residence for the purpose of school enrollment.

A Dependent Complaint, Custody Affidavit and Petition properly filed in Jefferson County Family Court and granted by the judge is sufficient to confer the requisite parental or custodial relationship to establish residence for the purpose of school enrollment.

Guardianship:  Conservatorship of the estate and/or guardianship shall not be used to determine school assignment.  Guardianship of the person shall only be accepted upon the following conditions:

• The guardianship must be ordered and issued by a Court of competent jurisdiction; and 

• The student must reside with the guardian on a full-time basis.

Parents must provide the school a copy of all court order(s) regarding the custody of the child(rent).  i3 Academy personnel may request custody documentation should a question arise.  Student enrollment forms, as well as other official documents of the school should be signed by the natural parent or guardian with whom the child resides.  The school will give to non-custodial parents, upon request, all information required under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the laws of Alabama, unless there is a valid court order directing the school not to divulge such information.  If such an order exists, a copy must be presented to the principal.  Updated custody agreement forms should be on file with i3 Academy Schools at all times.  Restricted pick-up of any parent or guardian will only be adhered to with evidence of court ordered documents or a current custody agreement stating pick-up or visitation are restricted.

If acceptable documentation for determining grade placement is not presented at the time students are enrolled, students will be temporarily assigned to a grade until determination as to final grade placement can be made.

If a student’s residence or contact information changes during the school year, the parent or guardian is REQUIRED to notify the school. The parent or guardian should complete a change of address form, accompanied by a new proof of residency documentation. This information must be submitted within fourteen (14) days of any move or change of address. This information should be provided to each school’s front office personnel.

A school system employee or designee may visit the address given by any parent or guardian to verify residency. The property address given MUST be the actual location where the student and parent/guardian live full time. Schools may request a parent/guardian provide proof of residency if: (1) mail is returned from the student’s address of record; (2) a student’s attendance record indicates a pattern of absences, tardies; or (3) other circumstances are presented that place the school on notice that the address of record in invalid-inaccurate for the student.

At the time of withdrawal, students must return all resources, such as devices, library books, and other school-owned items. Any such items not returned, for which the student is responsible, must be paid for in order for records to be released. The school may withhold grade reports, diplomas, and/or certificates of progress until all school-owned items have been returned in good order and/or restitution is made for damaged school-owned materials.

When students transfer or withdraw from school, parent(s)/guardian(s) are REQUIRED to come to the school and sign the necessary forms. A 48-hour period is necessary to process all withdrawal paperwork. Students’ grades and transcripts will not be released until all accounts are cleared. In situations where a custodial parent enrolls a child in school, that same parent should be the person who withdraws the child from school. However, the custodial parents who enrolled the child in school may give certified written permission to the school to allow a non-custodial parent to complete withdrawal procedures. i3 Academy schools may withdraw a student without parent/guardian permission as required and permitted by the Alabama State Board of Education Rules.